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FRED  M.  DEWITT 


OaO  FOURTEENTH    8T. 
OAKLAND,  CA1,. 


A.  H.  BUTKELR, 
library  No • 


THE  MORMON   PROPHET 


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D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY,  NEW  YORK. 


The  Mormon  Prophet 


BY 
LILY  J^QUGALL 

Author  of  The  Mermaid,  The  Zeitgeist, 
The  Madonna  of  a  Day,  Beggars  All,  Etc. 


NEW  YORK 

D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 
1899 


.3)7 


COPYRIGHT,  1899, 
BY  D.  APPLETON  AND    COMPANY. 


All  rights  reserved. 


PREFACE. 


IN  studying  the  rise  of  this  curious  sect 
I  have  discovered  that  certain  misconceptions 
concerning  it  are  deeply  rooted  in  the  minds 
of  many  of  the  more  earnest  of  the  well-wish 
ers  to  society.  Some  otherwise  well-informed 
people  hold  Mormonism  to  be  synonymous 
with  polygamy,  believe  that  Brigham  Young 
was  its  chief  prophet,  and  are  convinced  that 
the  miseries  of  oppressed  women  and  tyran 
nies  exercised  over  helpless  subjects  of  both 
sexes  are  the  only  themes  that  the  religion 
of  more  than  two  hundred  thousand  people 
can  afford.  When  I  have  ventured  in  con 
versation  to  deny  these  somewhat  fabulous 
notions,  it  has  been  earnestly  suggested  to 
me  that  to  write  on  so  false  a  religion  in  other 
than  a  polemic  spirit  would  tend  to  the  un 
dermining  of  civilised  life. 

In  spite  of  these  warnings,  and  although 
I  know  it  to  be  a  most  dangerous  commod- 


vi  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

ity,  I  have  ventured  to  offer  the  simple  truth, 
as  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  discern  it,  con 
soling  my  advisers  with  the  assurance  that 
its  insidious  influence  will  be  unlikely  to  do 
harm,  because,  however  potent  may  be  the 
direful  latitude  of  other  religious  novels,  this 
particular  book  can  only  interest  those  wiser 
folk  who  are  best  able  to  deal  with  it. 

As,  however,  to  many  who  have  precon 
ceived  the  case,  this  narrative  might,  in  the 
absence  of  explanation,  seem  purely  fanciful, 
let  me  briefly  refer  to  the  historical  facts  on 
which  it  is  based.  The  Mormons  revere  but 
one  prophet.  As  to  his  identity  there  can  be 
no  mistake,  since  many  of  the  "  revelations  " 
were  addressed  to  him  by  name — "  To  Joseph 
Smith,  Junior."  He  never  saw  Utah,  and  his 
public  teachings  were  for  the  most  part  un 
exceptionable.  Taking  necessary  liberty  with 
incidents,  I  have  endeavoured  to  present 
Smith's  character  as  I  found  it  in  his  own 
writings,  in  the  narratives  of  contemporary 
writers,  and  in  the  memories  of  the  older  in 
habitants  of  Kirtland. 

In  reviewing  the  evidence  I  am  unable 
to  believe  that,  had  Smith's  doctrine  been  con 
scious  invention,  it  would  have  lent  sufficient 
power  to  carry  him  through  persecutions  in 


PREFACE.  vii 

which  his  life  hung  in  the  balance,  and  his 
cause  appeared  to  be  lost,  or  that  the  class 
of  earnest  men  who  constituted  the  rank  and 
file  of  his  early  following  would  have  been  so 
long  deceived  by  a  deliberate  hypocrite.  It 
appears  to  me  more  likely  that  Smith  was 
genuinely  deluded  by  the  automatic  freaks 
of  a  vigorous  but  undisciplined  brain,  and 
that,  yielding  to  these,  he  became  confirmed 
in  the  hysterical  temperament  which  always 
adds  to  delusion  self-deception,  and  to  self- 
deception  half-conscious  fraud.  In  his  day 
it  was  necessary  to  reject  a  marvel  or  admit 
its  spiritual  significance;  granting  an  honest 
delusion  as  to  his  visions  and  his  book,  his 
only  choice  lay  between  counting  himself  the 
sport  of  devils  or  the  agent  of  Heaven;  an 
optimistic  temperament  cast  the  die. 

In  describing  the  persecutions  of  his  early 
followers  I  have  modified  rather  than  en 
larged  upon  the  facts.  It  would,  indeed, 
be  difficult  to  exaggerate  the  sufferings  of  this 
unhappy  and  extraordinarily  successful  sect. 

A  large  division  of  the  Mormons  of  to-day, 
who  claim  to  be  Smith's  orthodox  following, 
and  who  have  never  settled  in  Utah,  are  strict 
ly  monogamous.  These  have  never  owned 
Brigham  Young  as  a  leader,  never  murdered 


'•Ill 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 


ir  neighbours  or  defied  the  law  in  any  way, 
d  so  vigorous  their  growth  still  appears  that 
y  claim  to  have  increased  their  number  by 
fty  thousand  since  the  last  census  in  1890. 
f  all  their  characteristics,  the  sincerity  of 
ir  belief  is  the  most  striking.  In  Ohio, 
en  one  of  the  preachers  of  these  "  Smith- 
'  Mormons  was  conducting  me  through 
e  many-storied  temple,  still  standing  huge 
nd  gray  on  Kirtland  Bluff,  he  laid  his  hand 
on  a  pile  of  copies  of  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
saying  solemnly,  "  Sister,  here  is  the  solidest 
thing  in  religion  that  you'll  find  anywhere." 
I  bought  the  "  solidest  "  thing  for  fifty  cents, 
and  do  not  advise  the  same  outlay  to 
others.  The  prophet's  life  is  more  marvellous 
and  more  instructive  than  the  book  whose 
production  was  its  chief  triumph.  That  it 
was  an  original  production  seems  probable, 
as  the  recent  discovery  of  the  celebrated 
Spalding  manuscript,  and  a  critical  examina 
tion  of  the  evidence  of  Mrs.  Spalding,  go__far 
todiscreclit  the  popular  accusation  of  plagia 


rism. 


Near  Kirtland  I  visited  a  sweet-faced  old 
lady — not,  however,  of  the  Mormon  persua 
sion — who  as  a  child  had  climbed  on  the 
prophet's  knee.  "  My  mother  always  said," 


PREFACE.  ix 

she  told  us,  "  that  if  she  had  to  die  and  leave 
young  children,  she  would  rather  have  left 
them  to  Joseph  Smith  than  to  any  one  else 
in  the  world:  he  was  always  kind."  This 
testimony  as  to  Smith's  kindheartedness  I 
found  to  be  often  repeated  in  the  annals  of 
Mormon  families. 

In  criticising  my  former  stories  several 
reviewers,  some  of  them  distinguished  in  let 
ters,  have  done  me  the  honour  to  remark  that 
there  was  latent  laughter  in  many  of  my 
scenes  and  conversations,  but  that  I  was  un 
conscious  of  it.  Be  that  as  it  may,  those  who 
enjoy  unconscious  absurdity  will  certainly 
find  it  in  the  utterances  of  the  self-styled 
prophet  of  the  Mormons.  Probably  one 
gleam  of  the  sacred  fire  of  humour  would 
have  saved  him  and  his  apostles  the  very  un 
necessary  trouble  of  being  Mormons  at  all. 

In  looking  over  the  problems  involved  in 
such  a  career  as  Smith's,  we  must  be  struck 
by  the  necessity  for  able  and  unprejudiced  re 
search  into  the  laws  which  govern  apparent 
marvels.  Notwithstanding  the  very  natural 
and  sometimes  justifiable  aspersions  which 
have  been  cast  upon  the  work  of  the  Society 
for  Psychical  Research,  it  does  appear  that 
the  disinterested  service  rendered  by  its  more 


x  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

distinguished  members  is  the  only  attempt 
hitherto  made  to  aid  people  of  the  so-called 
"  mediumistic  "  temperament  to  understand 
rather  than  be  swayed  by  their  delusions. 
Whether  such  a  result  is  as  yet  possible  or  not, 
Mormonism  affords  a  gigantic  proof  of  the 
crying  need  of  an  effort  in  this  direction;  for 
men  are  obviously  more  ignorant  of  their  own 
elusive  mental  conditions  than  of  any  other 
branch  of  knowledge. 

L.  D. 

MONTREAL,  December^  1898. 


THE   MORMON   PROPHET. 


BOOK   I. 


CHAPTER  I. 

IN  the  UniteS  States  of  America  there 
was,  in  the  early  decades  of  this  century,  a 
very  widely  spread  excitement  of  a  religious 
sort.  Except  in  the  few  long-settled  portions 
of  the  eastern  coast,  the  people  were  scat 
tered  over  an  untried  country;  means  of  travel 
were  slow;  news  from  a  distance  was  scarce; 
new  heavens  and  a  new  earth  surrounded  the 
settlers.  In  the  veins  of  many  of  them  ran 
the  blood  of  those  who  had  been  persecuted 
for  their  faith:  Covenanters,  Quakers,  sec 
taries  of  diverse  sorts  who  could  transmit  to 
their  descendants  their  instincts  of  fiery  zeal, 
their'  cravings  for  "  the  light  that  never  was 
on  sea  or  land,"  but  not  that  education  by 
contact  with  law  and  order  which,  in  older 
states,  could  not  fail  to  moderate  reasonable 
minds. 

With  the  religious  revivals  came  signs  and 
wonders.  A  wave  of  peculiar  psychical  phe 
nomena  swept  over  the  country,  in  explana- 


2  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

tion  of  which  the  belief  most  widely  received 
was  that  of  the  direct  interposition  of  God  or 
the  devil.  The  difficulty  of  discerning  be 
tween  the  working  of  the  good  and  the  bad 
spirit  in  abnormal  manifestations  was  to  most 
minds  obviated  by  the  fact  that  they  looked 
out  upon  the  confusing  scene  through  the 
glasses  of  rigidly  defined  opinion,  and  accord 
ing  as  the  affected  person  did  or  did  not  con 
form  to  the  spectator's  view  of  truth,  so  he 
was  judged  to  be  a  saint  or  a  demoniac.  Few 
sought  to  learn  rather  than  to  judge;  one  of 
these  very  few  was  a  young  man  by  name 
Ephraim  Croom.  He  was  by  nature  a  stu 
dent,  and,  being  of  a  feeble  constitution,  he 
enjoyed  what,  in  that  country  and  time,  was 
the  very  rare  privilege  of  indulging  his  liter 
ary  tastes  under  the  shelter  of  the  parental 
roof. 

In  one  of  the  last  years  of  the  eighteenth 
century  Croom  the  elder  had  come  with  a 
young  wife  from  his  father's  home  in  Massa 
chusetts  to  settle  in  a  township  called  New 
Manchester,  in  the  State  of  New  York.  He 
was  a  Baptist  by  creed;  a  man  of  strong  will, 
strong  affections,  and  strong  self-respect. 
Taking  the  portion  of  goods  which  was  his 
by  right,  he  sallied  forth  into  the  new  coun 
try,  thrift  and  intelligence  written  upon  his 
forehead,  thinking  there  the  more  largely  to 
establish  the  prosperity  of  the  green  bay  tree, 
and  to  serve  his  God  and  generation  the  bet 
ter  by  planting  his  race  in  the  newer  land. 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  3 

The  thirtieth  year  after  his  emigration 
found  him  a  notable  person  in  the  place  that 
he  had  chosen,  with  almost  the  same  physical 
strength  as  in  youth,  stern,  upright,  thrifty, 
the  owner  of  large  mills,  of  a  substantial 
wooden  residence,  and  of  many  acres  of  land. 
He  was  as  rich  as  he  had  intended  to  be;  his 
ideal  of  righteousness,  being  of  the  obtain 
able  sort,  had  been  realised  and  strictly  ad 
hered  to.  The  one  disappointment  of  his  life 
was  the  lack  of  those  sturdy  sons  and  daugh 
ters  who,  to  his  mind,  should  have  surround 
ed  the  virtuous  man  in  his  old  age.  They 
had  not  come  into  the  world.  His  wife,  a 
good  woman  and  energetic  helpmeet,  had 
brought  him  but  the  one  studious  son. 

Ephraim  was  thirty-two  years  of  age  when 
a  young  girl,  strong,  beautiful,  impetuous,  en 
tered  under  the  sloping  eaves  of  his  father's 
huge  gray  shingle  roof.  The  girl  was  a  niece 
on  the  maternal  side.  Her  New  England 
mother  had,  by  freak  of  love,  married  a  reck 
less  young  Englishman  of  gentle  blood  who 
was  settled  on  a  Canadian  farm.  Pining  for 
her  puritan  home,  she  died  early.  The  father 
made  a  toy  of  his  daughter  till  he  too  died 
in  the  fortified  town  of  Kingston,  on  the 
northern  shore  of  Lake  Ontario.  No  other 
relatives  coming  forward  to  assume  his  debts 
or  to  claim  his  child,  their  duty  in  the  matter 
was  clear  to  the  minds  of  the  Croom  house 
hold,  and  the  girl  was  sent  for.  Her  name 
was  Susannah,  but  she  herself  gave  it  the 


4  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

softer  form  that  she  had  been  accustomed  to 
hear;  when  she  first  entered  the  sitting-room 
of  the  grave  Croom  family  trio,  like  a  sun 
beam  striking  suddenly  through  the  clouds 
on  a  dark  day,  she  held  out  her  hand  and 
her  lips  to  each  in  turn,  saying,  "  I  am  Susi- 
anne." 

That  first  time  Ephraim  kissed  her.  It 
was  done  in  surprise  and  embarrassed  for 
mality.  He  knew,  when  the  moment  was  past 
that  his  parents  had  perceived  that  Susannah 
needed  more  decorous  training.  He  con 
curred  in  believing  this  to  be  desirable,  for 
the  manners  that  had  surrounded  him  were 
very  stiff.  Yet  the  memory  of  the  greeting 
remained  with  him,  a  thing  to  be  wondered 
at  while  he  turned  the  whispering  leaves  of 
his  great  books. 

Susannah  had  travelled  from  the  Canadian 
fort  in  the  care  of  the  preacher  Finney.  He 
was  a  revivalist  of  great  renown,  possessing 
a  lawyer-like  keenness  of  intellect,  much  rhe 
torical  power,  and  Pauline  singleness  of  pur 
pose.  That  night  he  ate  and  slept  in  the 
house. 

The  original  Calvinism  of  the  Croom 
household  had  already  been  modified  by  the 
waves  of  Methodist  revival  from  the  Eastern 
States.  Finney  was  an  Independent,  but 
Martha  Croom  had  an  abounding  respect  for 
him;  his  occasional  visits  were  epochs  in  her 
life.  She  had  prepared  many  baked  meats 
for  his  entertainment  before  the  evening  of 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  5 

his  arrival  with  Susannah,  but  while  he  was 
present  she  devoted  herself  wholly  to  his  con 
versation. 

The  feast  was  spread  in  the  inner  kitchen. 
In  the  square  brick  fireplace  burning  pine 
sticks  crackled,  bidding  the  chill  of  the  April 
evening  retire  to  its  own  place  beyond  the 
dark  window  pane.  The  paint  upon  the  walls 
and  floor  glistened  but  faintly  to  the  fire  and 
the  small  flames  of  two  candles  that  stood 
among  the  viands  upon  the  table. 

The  elder  Croom  sat  in  his  place.  He 
was  burly  and  ruddy,  a  wholesome  man,  very 
silent,  very  strong,  a  person  to  be  feared  and 
relied  on.  Ephraim  believed  that  force  went 
forth  from  his  father's  presence  like  perfume 
from  a  flower.  There  were  many  kinds  of 
flowers  whose  perfume  was  too  strong  for 
Ephraim,  but  he  felt  that  to  be  a  proof  of  his 
own  weakness. 

Martha  Croom,  also  of  New  England 
stock,  was  of  a  different  type.  At  fifty  years 
she  was  still  as  slender  as  a  girl — tall  and  too 
slender,  but  the  small  shapely  head  was  set 
gracefully  on  the  neck  as  a  flower  upon  its 
stalk.  Her  hair,  which  was  wholly  silvered, 
was  still  abundant  and  glossily  brushed.  Her 
mind  was  not  judicial.  She  was  more  quick 
to  decide  than  to  comprehend,  full  of  intense 
activities  and  emotions. 

"  I  have  heard,"  said  the  preacher  slowly, 
"certain distressing  rumours  concerning " 

Mrs.  Croom  gave  an  upward  bridling  mo- 


6  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

tion  of  her  head,  and  a  red  spot  of  indignant 
fire  came  in  each  of  her  cheeks.  "  Joe 
Smith?  "  she  cried.  "  A  blasphemous  wretch! 
And  there  is  nothing,  Mr.  Finney,  that  so 
well  indicates  the  luke-warmishness  into 
which  so  many  have  fallen  as  that  his  blas 
phemy  is  made  a  jest  of." 

Ephraim  moved  uneasily  in  his  chair. 

Mr.  Croom  made  a  remark  brief  and  ju 
dicial.  "  The  Smiths  are  a  low  family." 

Mrs.  Croom  answered  the  tone.  "  If  the 
dirt  beneath  our  feet  were  to  begin  using  pro 
fane  language,  I  don't  suppose  it  would  be 
beneath  our  dignity  to  put  a  stop  to  it." 

"  It  is  the  Inquisition  that  my  mother 
wishes  to  reinstate,"  said  Ephraim. 

The  master  of  the  house  again  spoke  with 
the  naivete  of  unquestioning  bias.  "  No, 
Ephraim;  for  your  mother  would  be  the  last 
to  interfere  with  any  for  doing  righteousness 
or  believing  the  truth." 

Mrs.  Groom's  slender  head  trembled  and 
her  eyes  showed  signs  of  tears  at  her  son's 
opposition.  "  If  God-fearing  people  cannot 
prevent  the  most  horrible  iniquities  from 
being  practised  in  their  own  town,  the  laws 
are  in  a  poor  condition." 

"  You  have  made  no  candid  inquiry  con 
cerning  Smith,  mother;  your  judgment  of 
him,  whether  true  or  false,  is  based  on  angry 
sentiment  and  wilful  ignorance." 

The  preacher  sighed.  "  This  Smith  is  de 
ceiving  the  people." 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  7 

"  His  book,"  said  Ephraim,  "  is  a  history 
of  the  North  American  Indians  from  the  time 
of  the  flood  until  some  epoch  prior  to  Co 
lumbus.  It  would  be  as  difficult  to  prove  that 
it  was  not  true  as  to  prove  that  Smith  is  not 
honest  in  his  delusion.  We  can  only  fall  back 
upon  what  Butler  would  call  '  a  strong  pre 
sumption.'  ' 

Mrs.  Croom,  consciously  or  not,  made  a 
little  sharp  rap  on  the  table,  and  there  was 
a  movement  of  suppressed  misery  like  a  quiv 
er  in  her  slender  upright  form.  Her  voice 
was  low  and  tremulous.  "  If  you'd  got  re 
ligion,  Ephraim,  you  wouldn't  speak  in  that 
light  manner  of  one  who  has  the  awful  wick 
edness  of  adding  to  the  words  of  the  Book." 

Ephraim  continued  to  enlighten  the 
preacher  in  a  stronger  tone.  "  Whether  the 
man  is  mad  or  false,  almost  all  the  immorali 
ties  that  you  will  hear  reported  about  him 
are,  as  far  as  I  can  make  out,  not  true.  He 
doesn't  teach  that  it's ,  unnecessary  to  obey 
the  ten  commandments,  or  beat  his  wife,  nor 
is  he  drunken.  He's  got  the  sense  to  see  that 
all  that  sort  of  thing  wouldn't  make  a  big 
man  of  him.  It's  merely  a  revised  form  of 
Christianity,  with  a  few  silly  additions,  that 
he  claims  to  be  the  prophet  of." 

Mrs.  Croom  began  to  weep  bitterly. 

The  elder  Croom  asked  a  pertinent  ques 
tion.  "  Why  do  you  wilfully  distress  your 
mother,  Ephraim?  " 

"  Because,  sir,  I  love  my  mother  too  well 


8  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

to  sit  silent  and  let  her  think  that  injustice 
can  glorify  God." 

It  was  a  family  jar. 

Finney  was  a  man  of  about  forty  years 
of  age;  his  eyes  under  over-reaching  brows 
were  bright  and  penetrating;  his  face  was 
shaven,  but  his  mouth  had  an  expression  of 
peculiar  strength  and  gentleness.  He  looked 
keenly  at  the  son  of  the  house,  who  was  held 
to  be  irreligious.  And  then  he  looked  upon 
Susannah,  whose  beauty  and  frivolity  had  not 
escaped  his  keen  observation.  He  lived  al 
ways  in  the  consciousness  of  an  invisible  pres 
ence;  when  he  felt  the  arms  of  Heaven  around 
him,  wooing  him  to  prayer,  he  dared  not  dis 
obey. 

He  arose  now,  setting  his  chair  back 
against  the  wall  with  preoccupied  precision. 
"  The  spirit  of  prayer  is  upon  me,"  he  said; 
and  in  a  moment  he  added,  "  Let  us  pray." 

Susannah  was  eating,  and  with  relish.  She 
laid  down  her  bit  of  pumpkin  pie  and  stared 
astonished.  Then,  being  a  girl  of  good  sense 
and  good  feeling,  she  relinquished  the  remain 
der  of  her  supper,  and,  following  her  aunt's 
example,  knelt  beside  her  chair. 

The  two  candles  and  the  firelight  left 
shadowy  spaces  in  parts  of  the  room,  and  cast 
grotesque  outlines  against  the  walls.  Noth 
ing  was  familiar  to  Susannah's  eye;  she  could 
not  help  looking  about  her.  Ephraim  was 
nearest  to  her.  He  was  a  bearded  man,  and 
seemed  to  her  very  old.  She  saw  that  his  face 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  9 

looked  pale  and  distressed;  his  eyes  were 
closed,  his  lips  tight  set,  like  one  bearing 
transient  pain.  At  the  end  of  the  table  her 
uncle  knelt  upright,  with  hands  clasped  and 
face  uplifted,  no  feature  or  muscle  moving 
— a  strong  figure  rapt  in  devotion.  On  her 
other  side,  as  a  slight  tree  waves  in  the  wind, 
her  aunt's,  slim  figure  was  swaying  and  bend 
ing  with  feeling  that  was  now  convulsive  and 
now  restrained.  Sometimes  she  moaned  audi 
bly  or  whispered  "  Amen."  Across  the 
richly-spread  table  Susannah  saw  the  preach 
er  kneeling  in  a  full  flickering  glare  of  the  pine 
fire,  one  hand  upon  the  brick  jamb,  the  other 
covering  his  eyes,  as  if  to  hide  from  himself 
all  things  that  were  seen  and  temporal  in 
order  that  he  might  speak  face  to  face  with 
the  Eternal. 

It  was  some  time  before  she  listened  to 
the  words  of  the  prayer.  When  she  heard 
Ephraim  Croom  spoken  of  by  name,  there 
was  no  room  in  her  mind  for  anything  but 
curiosity.  After  a  while  she  heard  her  own 
name,  and  curiosity  began  to  subside  into 
awe.  After  this  the  preacher  brought  forward 
the  case  of  Joseph  Smith. 

Before  the  prayer  ended  Susannah  was 
troubled  by  so  strong  a  sense  of  emotion  that 
she  desired  nothing  so  much  as  relief.  It 
seemed  to  her  that  the  emotion  was  not  so 
much  in  herself  as  in  the  others,  or  like  an 
influence  in  the  room  pressing  upon  them  all. 
At  length  a  kitten  that  had  been  lying  by 


I0  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

the  hearth  got  up  as  if  disturbed  by  the  same 
influence,  and,  walking  round  the  room, 
rubbed  its  fur  against  Ephraim's  knee.  She 
saw  the  start  run  through  his  whole  nervous 
frame.  Opening  his  eyes,  he  put  down  his 
hand  and  stroked  it.  Susannah  liked  Ephra- 
im  the  better  for  this.  The  kitten  was  not  to 
be  comforted;  it  looked  up  in  his  face  and 
gave  a  piteous  mew.  Susannah  tittered;  then 
she  felt  sorry  and  ashamed. 


CHAPTER   II. 

Two  quiet  years  passed,  and  Susannah  had 
attained  her  eighteenth  birthday. 

On  a  certain  day  in  the  week  there  befell 
what  the  aunt  called  a  "  season  "  of  baking. 
It  was  the  only  occasion  in  the  week  when 
Mrs.  Croom  was  sure  to  stay  for  some  length 
of  time  in  the  same  place  with  Susannah  be 
side  her.  Ephraim  brought  down  his  books 
to  the  hospitable  kitchen,  and  sat  aloof  at  a 
corner  table.  He  said  the  sun  was  too  strong 
upon  his  upper  windows,  or  that  the  rain  was 
blowing  in.  The  first  time  that  Ephraim 
sought  refuge  in  the  kitchen  Mrs.  Croom  was 
quite  flustered  with  delight.  She  always  cov 
eted  more  of  her  son's  society.  But  when 
he  came  a  third  time  she  began  to  suspect 
trouble. 

Mrs.  Croom  stood  by  the  baking-board, 
her  slender  hands  immersed  in  a  heap  of 
pearly  flour;  baskets  of  scarlet  currants  lay 
at  her  feet.  All  things  in  the  kitchen  shone 
by  reason  of  her  diligence,  and  the  windows 
were  open  to  the  summer  sunshine.  Susan 
nah  sat  with  a  large  pan  of  red  gooseberries 
beside  her;  she  was  picking  them  over  one 

ii 


12  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

by  one.  Somewhere  in  the  outer  kitchen  the 
hired  boy  had  been  plucking  a  goose,  and 
some  tiny  fragments  of  the  down  were  float 
ing  in  the  air.  One  of  them  rode  upon  a 
movement  of  the  summer  air  and  danced  be 
fore  Susannah's  eyes.  She  put  her  pretty 
red  lips  beneath  it  and  blew  it  upwards. 

Mrs.  Groom's  suspicions  concerning 
Ephraim  had  produced  in'  her  a  desire  to  re 
prove  some  one,  but  she  refrained  as  yet. 

Susannah  having  wafted  the  summer 
snowflake  aloft,  still  sat,  her  young  face  tilted 
upward  like  the  faces  of  saints  in  the  holy 
pictures,  her  bright  eyes  fixed  upon  the  feath 
er  now  descending.  Ephraim  looked  with 
obvious  pleasure.  Her  head  was  framed  for 
him  by  the  window;  a  dark  stiff  evergreen 
and  the  summer  sky  gave  a  Raphaelite  set 
ting. 

The  feather  dropped  till  it  all  but  touched 
the  tip  of  the  girl's  nose.  Then  from  the  lips, 
puckered  and  rosy,  came  a  small  gust;  the 
fragment  of  down  ascended,  but  this  time 
aslant. 

"  You  didn't  blow  straight  enough  up," 
said  Ephraim. 

Susannah  smiled  to  know  that  her  pas 
time  was  observed.  The  smile  was  a  flash 
of  pleasure  that  went  through  her  being.  She 
ducked  her  laughing  face  farther  forward  to 
be  under  the  feather. 

Mrs.  Croom  shot  one  glance  at  Ephraim, 
eager  and  happy  in  his  watching.  She  did 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  13 

what  nothing  but  the  lovelight  in  her  son's 
face  could  have  caused  her  to  do.  She  struck 
the  girl  lightly  but  testily  on  the  side  of  the 
face. 

Ephraim  was  as  foolish  as  are  most  men 
in  sight  of  a  damsel  in  distress.  He  made  no 
impartial  inquiry  into  the  real  cause  of  trou 
ble;  he  did  not  seek  Justice  in  her  place  of 
hiding.  He  stepped  to  his  mother's  side, 
stern  and  determined,  remembering  only  that 
she  was  often  unwise,  and  that  he  could  con 
trol  her. 

"  You  ought  not  to  have  done  that.  You 
must  never  do  it  again." 

With  the  print  of  floury  fingers  on  her 
glowing  cheeks  the  girl  sat  more  astonished 
than  angry,  full  of  ruth  when  her  aunt  began 
to  sob  aloud. 

The  mother  knew  that  she  was  no  longer 
the  first  woman  in  her  son's  love. 

It  was,  without  doubt,  Mrs.  Groom's  first 
bitter  pang  of  jealousy  that  lay  at  the  begin 
ning  of  those  causes  which  drove  Susannah 
out  upon  a  strange  pilgrimage.  But  above 
and  beyond  her  personal  jealousy  was  a  con 
sideration  certainly  dearer  to  a  woman  into 
whose  inmost  religious  life  was  woven  the 
fibre  of  the  partisan.  As  she  expressed  it  to 
herself,  she  agonised  before  the  Lord  in  a 
new  fear  lest  her  unconverted  son  should  be 
established  in  his  unbelief  by  love  for  a  woman 
who  had  never  sought  for  heavenly  grace; 
but,  in  truth,  that  which  she  sought  was  that 


I4  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

both  should  swear  allegiance  to  her  own  in 
terpretation  of  grace.  In  this  prayer  some 
good  came  to  her,  the  willingness  to  sacrifice 
her  jealousy  if  need  be;  but  after  the  prayer 
another  thought  entered  into  her  mind, 
which  she  held  to  be  divine  direction;  she 
must  focus  all  her  efforts  upon  the  girl's  con 
version.  In  her  heart  all  the  time  a  still  small 
voice  told  her  that  love  was  the  fulfilling  of 
the  law,  but  so  still,  so  small,  so  habitual  was 
it  that  she  lost  it  as  we  lose  the  ticking  of  a 
clock,  and  it  was  not  with  increased  love  for 
Susannah  that  she  began  a  course  of  redou 
bled  zeal. 

The  girl  became  frightened,  not  so  much 
of  her  aunt  as  of  God.  The  simple  child's 
prayer  for  the  keeping  of  her  soul  which  she 
had  been  in  the  habit  of  repeating  morning 
and  evening  became  a  terror  to  her,  because 
she  did  not  understand  her  aunt's  phraseol 
ogy.  The  "  soul  "  it  dealt  with  was  not  her 
self,  her  thoughts,  feelings,  and  powers,  but 
a  mysterious  something  apart  from  these,  for 
whose  welfare  these  must  all  be  sacrificed. 

Susannah  had  heard  of  fairies  and  ghosts; 
she  inclined  to  shove  this  sort  of  soul  into 
the  same  unreal  region.  The  dreary  artificial 
heaven,  which  seemed  to  follow  logically  if 
she  accepted  the  basal  fact  of  a  soul  separated 
from  all  her  natural  powers,  could  be  dis 
pensed  with  also.  This  was  her  hope,  but  she 
was  not  sure.  How  could  she  be  sure  when 
she  was  so  young  and  dependent?  It  was 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  15 

almost  her  only  solace  to  interpret  Ephraim's 
silence  by  her  own  unbelief,  and  she  rested 
her  weary  mind  against  her  vague  notions  of 
Ephraim's  support. 

One  August  day  Mrs.  Croom  drove  with 
her  husband  to  a  distant  funeral. 

In  the  afternoon  when  the  sunshine  was 
falling  upon  the  fields  of  maize,  when  the 
wind  was  busy  setting  their  ribbon-like  leaves 
flapping,  and  rocking  the  tree-tops,  Ephraim 
Croom  was  disturbed  in  his  private  room  by 
the  blustering  entrance  of  Susannah. 

The  room  was  an  attic;  the  windows  of 
the  gable  looked  west;  slanting  windows  in 
the  shingle  roof  looked  north  and  south. .  The 
room  was  large  and  square,  spare  of  furniture, 
lined  with  books.  At  a  square  table  in  the 
centre  sat  Ephraim. 

When  Susannah  entered  a  gust  of  wind 
came  with  her.  The  handkerchief  folded 
across  her  bosom  was  blown  awry.  Her  sun- 
bonnet  had  slipped  back  upon  her  neck;  her 
ringlets  were  tossed. 

"  Cousin  Ephraim,  my  aunt  has  gone; 
come  out  and  play  with  me."  Then  she  added 
more  disconsolately,  "  I  am  lonely;  I  want 
you  to  talk  to  me,  cousin." 

The  gust  had  lifted  Ephraim's  papers  and 
shed  them  upon  the  floor.  He  looked  down 
at  them  without  moving.  Life  in  a  world 
of  thought,  in  which  his  fellows  took  no  in 
terest,  had  produced  in  him  a  singularly  un 
demonstrative  manner. 


16  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

Susannah's  red  lips  were  pouting.  "Come, 
cousin,  I  am  so  tired  of  myself." 

But  Ephraim  had  been  privately  accused 
of  amative  emotions.  Offended  with  his 
mother,  mortified  he  knew  not  why,  uncer 
tain  of  his  own  feeling,  as  scholars  are  apt  to 
be,  he  had  no  wish  then  but  to  retire. 

"  I  am  too  busy,  Susianne." 

"  Then  I  will  go  alone;  I  will  go  for  a 
long,  long  walk  by  myself."  She  gave  her 
foot  a  defiant  stamp  upon  the  floor. 

He  looked  out  of  his  windows  north  and 
south;  safer  district  could  not  be.  "  I  do  not 
think  it  will  rain,"  he  said. 

A  suspicion  of  laughter  was  lurking  in  his 
clear  quiet  eyes,  which  were  framed  in  heavy 
brown  eyebrows  and  thick  lashes.  Nature, 
who  had  stinted  this  man  in  physical  strength, 
had  fitted  him  out  fairly  well  as  to  figure  and 
feature. 

Susannah,  vexed  at  his  indifference,  but 
fearing  that  he  would  retract  his  unexpected 
permission,  was  again  in  the  draught  of  the 
open  door. 

"  Perhaps  I  will  walk  away,  away  into  the 
woods  and  never  come  back;  what  then?" 

"  Indians,"  suggested  he,  "  or  starvation, 
or  perhaps  wolves,  Susianne." 

"  But  I  love  you  for  not  forbidding  me 
to  go,  cousin  Ephraim." 

The  smile  that  repaid  him  for  his  indul 
gence  comforted  him  for  an  hour;  then  a 
storm  arose. 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  17 

In  the  meantime  Susannah  had  walked 
far.  A  squatter's  old  log-house  stood  by  the 
green  roadside;  the  wood  of  the  roof  and 
walls  was  weathered  and  silver-gray.  Before 
it  a  clothes-line  was  stretched,  heaved  tent- 
like  by  a  cleft  pole,  and  a  few  garments  were 
flapping  in  the  wind,  chiefly  white,  but  one 
was  vivid  pink  and  one  tawny  yellow. 

The  nearer  aspect  of  the  log-house  was 
squalid.  An  early  apple-tree  at  the  side  had 
shed  part  of  its  fruit,  which  was  left  to  rot 
in  the  grass  and  collect  flies,  and  close  to  the 
road,  under  a  juniper  bush,  the  rind  of  mel 
ons  and  potato  peelings  had  been  thrown. 
There  was  no  fence;  the  grass  was  uncut. 
Upon  the  door-step  sat  a  tall  woman,  un 
kempt-looking,  almost  ragged.  She  had 
short  gray  hair  that  curled  about  her  temples; 
her  face  was  handsome,  clever-looking  too, 
but,  above  all,  eager.  This  eagerness  amount 
ed  to  hunger.  She  was  looking  toward  the 
sky,  nodding  and  smiling  to  herself. 

Susannah  stopped  upon  the  road  a  few 
feet  from  the  juniper  bush.  It  occurred  to 
her  that  this  was  Joseph  Smith's  mother,  who 
had  the  reputation  of  being  a  speywife.  The 
sky-gazer  did  not  look  at  her. 

"  Are  you  Lucy  Smith?  " 

The  woman  clapped  her  hands  suddenly 
together  and  laughed  aloud.  Then  she  rose, 
but,  only  glancing  a  moment  at  the  visitor, 
she  turned  her  smiling  face  again  toward  the 
sky. 


18  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

Into  Susannah's  still  defiant  mood  darted 
the  thought  of  a  new  adventure.  "  Will  you 
tell  my  fortune?  " 

"  Who  am  I  to  tell  fortunes  when  my  son 
Joseph  has  come  home?  "  Again  came  the 
excited  laugh.  "  It's  the  grace  of  God  that's 
fallen  on  this  house,  and  Lucy  Smith,  like 
Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Zacharias,  is  the  moth 
er  of  a  prophet." 

"  He  isn't  a  prophet,"  said  Susannah,  tak 
ing  a  step  backward. 

"  Seven  years  ago  was  his  first  vision,  and 
all  the  people  trampling  upon  him  since  to 
make  him  gainsay  it,  but  he  stood  steadfast. 
I  dreamed  it — when  he  was  a  little  child  I 
dreamed  it,  and  it  has  come  true."  Then, 
seeming  to  return  into  herself,  her  gaze  wan 
dered  again  to  the  sky,  and  she  murmured, 
"  The  mother  of  a  prophet,  the  mother  of  a 
prophet!  " 

On  the  other  side  of  the  road  a  few  acres 
of  ground  were  lying  under  disorderly  culti 
vation.  In  one  patch  the  stalks  of  sweet 
maize  had  been  fastened  together  in  high 
stooks,  disclosing  the  pumpkin  vines,  which 
beneath  them  had  plentifully  borne  their  huge 
fruit,  green  as  yet.  At  the  back  of  this  culti 
vated  portion  an  old  man,  the  elder  Joseph 
Smith,  was  digging  potatoes;  his  torn  shirt 
fluttered  like  the  dress  of  a  scarecrow.  Be 
hind  him  and  all  around  was  the  green  wood, 
close-growing  bushes  hedging  in  the  short 
trees  of  a  second  growth  which  covered  a 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  19 

long  low  hill.  Above  the  hill  ominous  clouds 
like  smoking  censers  were  being  rolled  up 
from  the  east;  the  waving  beards  of  the  corn 
stocks  rustled  and  streamed  in  wind  which 
was  growing  colder.  Susannah's  dress  and 
bonnet  were  roughly  blown,  and  the  clothes 
on  the  line  flapped  again  around  the  tall  fig 
ure  of  the  witch  in  the  doorway. 

Susannah  contradicted  again  with  the 
scornful  superiority  of  youth.  "  I  don't  be 
lieve  that  your  son  is  a  prophet." 

Lucy  Smith,  having  the  sensitive  recep 
tive  power  of  an  hysteric,  was  sobered  now  by 
the  determination  of  Susannah's  aspect.  She 
looked  almost  repentant  for  a  moment,  and 
then  said  humbly,  "  If  you'll  come  in  and  see 
Emmar — Joseph  and  Emmar  have  come 
home — Emmar  will  tell  you  the  same." 

A  gray  vaporous  tint  was  being  spread 
over  the  heavens,  folding  this  portion  of  earth 
in  its  shadow  and  darkening  the  interior  of 
the  cabin  which  Susannah  entered. 

Upon  a  decent  bedstead  reclined  a  young 
woman.  Everything  near  her  was  orderly 
and  clean.  She  belonged,  it  would  seem,  to 
a  better  class  of  the  social  order  than  the 
other,  certainly  to  a  higher  type  of  woman 
hood. 

"  What  have  you  got?  Is  it  a  kitten?  " 
asked  Susannah.  Advancing  across  the  dark 
uneven  floor,  she  perceived  that  the  reclin 
ing  woman  was  caressing  some  small  creature 
beneath  her  shawl. 


20  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

"  Emmar,  Emmar,"  said  Lucy  Smith, 
"  tell  Miss  from  the  mill  about  the  angel  that 
appeared  to  Joseph." 

Emma  Smith  was  a  nobly  made,  dignified 
young  creature.  She  looked  at  Susannah's 
beautiful  and  open  countenance,  and  straight 
way  drew  forth  the  young  thing  she  was  nurs 
ing  for  her  inspection.  It  was  an  infant  but 
a  few  days  old.  Surprised,  reverent,  and  de 
lighted,  Susannah  bent  over  it.  The  child 
made  them  all  akin — the  squalid  old  hysteric, 
the  respectable  young  mother,  the  beautiful 
girl  in  her  silken  shawl. 

Some  minutes  elapsed. 

"  Emmar,  Miss  here  doesn't  know  noth 
ing  about  Joseph.  She  says  it  ain't  true." 

The  young  mother  smiled  frankly.  "  I 
suppose  it  seems  very  hard  for  you  to  be 
lieve,"  she  said,  "  but  it's  quite  true,  and  the 
Lord  told  Joseph  where  to  find  the  new  part 
of  the  Bible  that  he's  going  now  to  make 
known  to  the  world.  Shall  I  tell  you  about 
it?" 

Susannah  looked  at  her  dazed;  she  had 
heretofore  heard  of  the  Smiths'  doctrines  as 
of  the  ravings  of  the  mad.  It  had  not  oc 
curred  to  her  that  a  sane  mind  could  regard 
them  seriously. 

"  It  was  seven  years  ago,"  said  Emma,  "  at 
the  time  the  big  revival  was  here  and  Joseph 
was  converted;  but  he  heard  all  the  Method 
ists  and  Baptists  and  Presbyterians  disputing 
together  as  to  which  of  them  was  right,  and 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  2I 

he  felt  so  burdened  to  know  which  was  right, 
and  he  felt  a  sort  of  longing  in  him  to  be  a 
great  man,  bigger  than  the  revival  preacher 
that  had  been  here  that  all  the  people  ran 
after,  and  Joseph  felt  that  he  could  be  bigger 
than  that,  and  preach  and  tell  all  the  people 
what  was  right,  if  they  would  all  come  to  hear 
him.  And  he  was  so  burdened  that  one  day 
he  went  out  into  the  woods,  and  he  began 
crying  and  confessing  his  sins  and  calling  out 
to  God  to  show  him  what  was  right  and  make 
him  a  great  preacher.  Well,  when  he  had 
been  crying  and  going  on  like  that  for  a  long 
time,  he  just  fell  right  down  as  if  he  was 
asleep,  and  it  was  all  dark  till  a  light  fell  from 
heaven  and  an  angel  came  in  the  light." 
Emma  went  on  to  tell  of  Smith's  vision  and 
first  call,  of  his  backsliding  and  final  commis 
sion. 

Susannah  stared.  The  young  mother  was 
a  reality;  the  baby  was  a  reality.  Could  the 
statements  in  this  wild  story  bear  any  relation 
to  reality?  The  old  woman  stood  by,  nod 
ding  and  smiling.  The  young  girl's  mind  be 
came  perplexed. 

"  It  was  just  before  he  began  to  translate 
the  gold  book  that  he  came  to  board  at  my 
father's  in  Susquehannah  County,  and  he  told 
me  all  about  it,  and  I  believed  him;  but  my 
father  wouldn't,  so  I  had  to  go  away  with 
Joseph  to  get  married;  but  since  then  father's 
forgiven  us;  and  we've  been  back  home  this 
last  summer,  and  we've  been  to  Fayette  too, 


22  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

living  with  a  gentleman  called  Mr.  Whitmer, 
who  believes  in  Joseph,  and  all  the  time  Jo 
seph's  been  translating  the  book  that  was 
written  on  the  gold  plates  that  he  found  in 
the  hill.  It's  been  very  hard  work,  and  we've 
had  to  live  very  poor,  because  Joseph  couldn't 
earn  anything  while  he  was  doing  it,  but  it's 
done  now,  so  we  feel  cheered.  And  now  that 
it's  going  to  be  printed,  and  Joseph  can  begin 
to  gather  in  the  elect  very  soon,  and  now 
that  baby's  come " 

Emma  stopped  again;  the  last  domestic 
detail  seemed  to  involve  her  mind  in  such 
meshes  of  bliss  that  she  lost  sight  of  the  end 
of  her  sentence.  All  her  words  had  been  calm, 
and  the  baby  that  lay  upon  the  bed  beside 
her  stretching  its  crumpled  rose-leaf  fists  into 
the  air  and  making  strange  grotesque  smiles 
with  its  little  red  chin  and  cheeks  was  un 
doubtedly  a  true  baby,  a  good  and  delightful 
thing  in  Susannah's  estimation.  Had  the 
Bible  in  the  hill  been  a  true  Bible?  Susannah 
intuitively  knew  that  Emma  Smith,  bending 
with  grave  rapture  over  her  firstborn,  was 
not  trying  to  deceive  her. 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  she  said,  "  that  it  is 
terribly  wicked  of  you  to  believe  about  this 
Bible."  Her  utterance  became  thick  with 
her  rising  indignation.  "  How  can  you  sit 
and  hold  that  child  and  say  such  terribly 
wicked  things?  "  She  could  not  have  told 
why  she  referred  to  the  child;  the  moment 
before  it  was  spoken  she  had  not  formulated 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  23 

the  thought.  She  was  not  old  enough  to  rea 
son  about  the  sacredness  of  babies;  she  only 
felt. 

The  tears  started  to  Emma's  eyes.  She 
clasped  her  child  to  her  breast.  "  Yes,  I 
know  how  you  feel.  I  felt  that  way  too  my 
self,  and  sometimes  even  yet  it  frightens  me; 
but,  you  see,  I  know  it  is  true,  so  it  must  be 
right.  But  I've  given  up  expecting  other 
people  to  believe  it  just  yet,  until  Joseph  is 
allowed  to  preach,  and  then  it's  been  revealed 
to  him  that  the  nations  shall  be  gathered  in. 
Only  you  looked  so — so  beautiful — you  see, 
I  thought  perhaps  God  might  have  sent  you 
to  be  a  friend  to  me.  I  have  no  friends  be 
cause  of  the  way  they  persecute  Joseph." 

Susannah  turned  in  incredulous  wrath  and 
tramped,  young  and  haughty,  to  the  outer 
door.  The  first  drops  of  a  heavy  shower  were 
falling;  she  hesitated. 

"  But  tell  her  about  the  witnesses,  Em- 
mar."  Old  Lucy  stood  half-way  between  the 
bed  and  the  door,  making  nods  and  becks  in 
her  excited  desire  that  Susannah  should  be 
impressed.  "  For  when  the  dear  Lord  saw 
that  folks  wouldn't  b'lieve  Joseph,  He  didn't 
leave  him  without  witnesses." 

Susannah,  stopped  by  the  weather,  felt 
more  willing  to  conciliate.  She  returned 
gloomily  within  the  sound  of  Emma's  gentle 
voice. 

"  It  was  Mr.  Cowdery  and  Mr.  Whitmer 
and  Mr.  Harris,"  Emma  said.  "  Mr.  Cowdery 


24  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

and  Mr.  Whitmer  saw  the  gold  plates  held  in 
the  air,  as  it  were  by  hands  they  couldn't  see, 
but  Martin  Harris  he  had  to  withdraw  him 
self  because  he  couldn't  see  the  vision,  and 
he  went  away  by  himself  and  sobbed  and 
cried.  But  Joseph  went  and  put  his  arm 
around  him  and  prayed  that  his  faith  might 
be  strengthened,  and  then  he  saw  it.  So  they 
three  have  written  their  testimony  in  the  front 
of  the  book  that's  being  printed." 

A  storm  had  now  broken  upon  the  house 
in  torrents.  The  door  was  shut.  Emma 
wrapped  her  child  closer  in  her  shawl.  Susan 
nah  sat  sulky  and  disconsolate.  She  had  a 
vague  idea  that  the  vengeance  of  heaven  was 
overtaking  her  for  merely  listening  to  such 
heresy.  Over  against  this  was  a  shadowy 
doubt  whether  it  might  not  be  true,  roused 
by  Emma's  continued  persistency. 

"  Is  it  any  easier  to  believe  that  those 
things  happened  to  folks  when  the  Bible  was 
written?  Don't  you  believe  that  God  ap 
peared  to  Moses  and  Samuel  and  told  them 
the  very  words  to  write  down,  and  showed 
them  visions;  and  isn't  He  the  same  God  yes 
terday,  to-day,  and  for  ever?  It's  just  what 
it  says  in  the  Bible  shall  come  about  in  the 
latter  days.  It's  because  of  the  great  apos 
tasy  of  the  Church,  no  one  really  believing 
in  Jesus  Christ,  that  a  new  prophet  had  to 
appear — that's  Joseph." 

"  They  do  believe,"  Susannah  spoke  sul 
lenly. 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  25 

"  Well,  there's  your  aunt,  Mis'  Croom. 
Now  she's  as  good  as  there  is  in  the  modern 
Church,  isn't  she?  She's  doing  all  she  can 
to  save  her  soul.  She  can't  do  it,  for  she  don't 
believe.  Why  the  Lord,  He  said  that  signs 
and  wonders  should  follow  them  that  believe. 
Have  they  any  signs  and  wonders  up  at  your 
place?  And  He  said  that  believers  must  for 
sake  all,  houses  and  lands  and  all;  what  have 
your  people  forsook?  And  as  to  its  being 
hard  to  believe  about  Joseph — you  just  take 
the  things  in  the  Bible,  Elisha  and  the  bears, 
for  instance,  and  Paul  bringing  back  Dorcas 
to  life,  and  just  think  how  hard  they'd  be  to 
believe  if  you  heard  they  happened  yesterday, 
next  door  to  you.  And  with  God  all  times 
and  places  is  the  same.  Souls  is  only  saved 
by  believing;  the  Lord  says  so,  and  accepting 
the  things  of  faith  to  come  to  pass,  and  being 
baptized  and  giving  up  all  and  following;  and 
it's  an  awful  thing  to  lose  one's  soul." 

At  this  reiteration  of  the  doctrine  of  the 
soul  as  a  thing  apart  from  the  development 
of  reason  and  character,  Susannah  rose,  ready 
to  cry  with  anger.  Her  aunt's  agitation  on 
the  subject  had  left  a  sore  to  which  the  gen 
tlest  touch  was  pain. 

"  I  don't  believe  it,"  she  cried.  "  I  don't 
believe  God  wants  us  to  do  anything  except 
just  good.  That's  what  my  father  told  me. 
I'm  going  home.  I  don't  care  how  it  rains." 

Emma  did  not  hear  her.  Over  her  pale 
young  face  had  come  the  peculiar  expression 


26  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

of  alert  and  loving  listening.  She  had  de 
tected  the  sound  of  a  footstep  which  Susan 
nah  now  heard  coming  heavily  near. 

A  large  man  of  about  twenty-five  years  of 
age  entered  from  the  bluster  of  the  storm. 
As  Susannah  was  trying  to  push  out  past  him 
into  its  fury,  he  paused,  staring  in  rough  as 
tonishment. 

Lucy  hung  on  to  her  arm.  "  Stay  a  bit! 
Joseph  must  hold  the  umbrella  over  Miss. 
Emmar,  tell  her  she  can't  no  wise  go  alone." 

Susannah  fled  into  the  driving  sheets  of 
rain,  but  Joseph  Smith,  umbrella  in  hand,  fol 
lowed  her. 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE  umbrella  was  a  very  heavy  one. 
Susannah  certainly  could  not  have  held  it 
against  the  wind.  Joseph  Smith  held  the  shel 
ter  between  Susannah  and  the  blast,  looking 
at  her  occasionally  with  a  kindly  expression 
in  his  blue  eyes,  but  merely  to  see  how  far  it 
sheltered  her. 

They  walked  in  silence  for  about  a  quar 
ter  of  a  mile.  The  rain  swept  upon  her  skirt 
and  feet;  she  saw  it  falling  thick  on  either  side; 
she  saw  it  beating  upon  Smith's  shoulder, 
upon  one  side  of  his  hat,  and  dripping  from 
his  light  hair.  The  wind  was  so  strong  that 
the  very  drops  that  trickled  from  his  hair 
were  blown  backward.  His  blue  coat  was 
old — not  much  protection,  she  thought, 
against  the  storm. 

The  false  prophet  had  hitherto  appeared 
quite  as  terrible  to  her  imagination  and  as 
far  removed  from  real  life  as  the  wild  beast 
of  story  books;  now  he  appeared  very  much 
like  any  other  man — rather  more  kind  in  his 
actions,  perhaps,  and  distrait  in  his  thought. 
Susannah  began  to  think  herself  a  discoverer. 

27 


28  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

"  You  are  not  keeping  the  rain  off  your 
self." 

"  It  don't  matter  about  me.  I  don't  mind 
getting  wet." 

His  tone  carried  conviction.  After  a  while 
gratitude  again  stirred  her  into  speech. 

"  I'm  afraid  you  find  it  awfully  hard  hold 
ing  up  the  umbrella." 

He  gave  a  glance  downward  at  her  as  she 
toiled  by  his  side.  "  Why  you're  most  blown 
away  as  it  is.  You  couldn't  get  along  with 
out  the  umbrellar."  Regarding  her  atten 
tively  for  a  minute,  he  added,  "  Emmar  will 
be  vexed  when  she  hears  that  your  dress  got 
so  splashed." 

They  were  both  bending  somewhat  for 
ward  against  the  wind;  the  road  beneath  them 
was  glistening  with  standing  t  water.  When 
they  passed  by  the  woods  the  trees  were 
creaking  and  cracking,  and  over  the  mead 
ows  hung  shifting  veils  of  clouds  and  rain. 

"  I  guess  I'd  better  not  take  you  farther 
than  Sharon  Peck's.  Your  folks  would  be 
pretty  mad  if  you  walked  through  the  village 
with  Joe  Smith." 

The  lines  round  Susannah's  mouth 
strengthened  themselves;  she  felt  herself  su 
perior  to  those  whose  attitude  of  mind  he  had 
thus  described. 

"  You  have  been  very  kind  to  come  with 
me.  I'd  like  better  to  go  home  than  stop,  if 
it  isn't  too  far." 

"  I  guess  not.    If  you'd  lived  here  longer 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  29 

you'd  know  that  there  was  all  manner  of  evil 
said  about  me,  and  the  worst  of  it  is  that 
some  of  it's  true.  I've  been  a  pretty  low  sort 
of  fellow,  and  I  hain't  got  any  education  to 
speak  of." 

She  looked  up  at  him  in  astonishment; 
the  expression  of  his  face  was  peaceful  and 
kindly.  "  Then  why  do  you  go  about  preach 
ing  and  saying " 

"  I  hain't  got  nothing  to  do  with  that  at 
all.  If  an  angel  comes  from  heaven  and  gives 
me  a  partic'lar  revelation,  calling  me  by  name, 
namely,  '  Joseph  Smith,  Junior,'  tain't  for  me 
to  say  he's  made  a  mistake  and  come  to  the 
wrong  man,  though  goodness  knows  I  hev 
said  it  to  the  Lord  often  enough;  but  now 
I've  come  to  see  that  it's  my  business  just  to 
do  what  I'm  told.  But  as  to  the  low  ways  I 
hed — why,  I've  repented  and  give  them  up, 
and  as  to  the  education,  I'm  trying  to  get  that, 
but  it  won't  come  in  a  minute." 

Her  conscience  was  not  at  rest;  to  be 
silent  was  like  telling  a  lie,  and  from  mo 
tives  of  fear,  too!  At  length  she  burst  out, 
"  I  don't  believe  you  ever  saw  an  angel, 
Mr.  Smith.  I  think  it's  very  wicked  of  you 
to  have  made  it  up,  and  about  the  gold  Bible 
too." 

They  were  still  half  a  mile  from  the  near 
est  house.  Susannah  gasped.  When  she  had 
spoken  her  defiance  she  realised  that  if  she 
had  nothing  worse  to  fear,  she  at  least  de 
served  to  be  left  alone  among  the  raging  ele- 


3o  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

ments.  She  staggered  somewhat,  expecting 
a  rebuff. 

"  I  guess  you'd  better  take  my  arm/'  he 
said.  "  It  ain't  no  sort  of  a  day  for  a  woman 
to  be  out." 

When  she  hesitated,  flushed  and  fright 
ened,  a  smile  came  for  the  first  time  across 
his  face.  "  You're  almost  beat  back  by  the 
wind.  It  won't  hurt  you  to  grip  hold  of  my 
sleeve,  you  know,  even  if  I  am  a  thundering 
big  liar.  I  don't  know  as  I  can  expect  you 
to  believe  anything  else.  Emmar  didn't  for 
a  long  time,  but  then,  after  a  spell,  she  gave 
up  all  the  comforts  of  her  father's  house  just 
to  stand  by  me,  and  no  one's  ever  had  a  word 
to  say  against  Emmar." 

They  stopped  at  a  farmhouse  on  the  out 
skirts  of  the  village. 

Smith  had  said  to  Susannah,  "  There's  a 
gentleman  I  know  stopping  at  Sharon  Peck's. 
I'll  pass  the  umbrellar  on  to  him,  and  he'll 
take  you  home.  He's  been  a  Quaker,  but 
I  guess  you'll  find  him  a  pretty  nice  young 
gentleman.  Mrs.  Peck,  she  isn't  to  home." 

He  left  Susannah  standing  upon  the  lee 
side  of  a  wooden  house  amid  treeless  fields. 
The  eaves  sheltered  her.  She  stooped  down 
and  with  both  hands  wrung  the  water  from 
her  skirts.  She  was  busy  over  this  when  the 
promised  escort  joined  her. 

The  remnants  of  his  forsaken  Quakerism 
hung  around  him;  his  coat  was  buff,  his  hat 
straight  in  the  brim,  his  manner  prim,  and 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  31 

when  he  spoke  it  was  in  the  speech  of  his  peo 
ple.  His  complexion  was  very  light,  hair, 
eyebrows  and  lashes,  and  the  down  on  his 
chin — almost  flaxen;  his  face  was  browned  by 
exposure  to  the  \veather,  but  so  well  formed 
that  Susannah  found  him  very  good  to  look 
upon,  the  features  pointed  and  delicate,  but 
not  without  strength. 

"  Thou  wilt  walk  as  far  as  thy  home  with 
me?  "  he  asked. 

Pie  held  Smith's  huge  umbrella,  but  he 
did  not  hold  it  with  the  same  strength,  nor 
did  he  show  the  same  skill  in  keeping  it 
against  the  wind. 

He  spoke  as  they  walked.  "  Thou  hast 
walked  a  long  way.  Art  weary?  " 

"  Yes— no— I  don't  know."  What  did  it 
matter  whether  she  was  tired  or  not?  Baf 
fled  curiosity  was  exciting  her.  "  You  are  a 
stranger  here.  Are  you  a  friend  of  the 
Smiths?  " 

"  I  have  experienced  the  great  benefit  of 
being  acquainted  with  the  prophet  for  the 
last  fourteen  days." 

"  But  he's  not  a  prophet,"  said  Susannah 
resentfully. 

"  Did'st  thou  never  find  thyself  to  be  mis 
taken  when  thou  wast  most  sure?  Hast  thou 
not  perceived  that  thy  Bible  tells  thee  in  many 
different  ways  that  God  chooses  not  as  men 
choose? " 

Then  with  great  ardour  he  preached  to  her 
the  doctrine  of  this  new  Christian  sect.  He 


32  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

was  a  convert;  his  preaching  was  rather  the 
eager  recital  of  his  own  experience,  which 
would  out,  like  some  dynamic  force  within 
him,  than  pressure  brought  wilfully  to  bear 
upon  her. 

He  said,  "  I  do  not  ask  thee,  friend,  if 
thou  art  Methodist  or  Baptist  or  Presbyterian, 
but  I  do  ask  thee,  canst  thou  read  the  prom 
ises  of  thy  Lord  to  his  church  and  be  content 
with  its  present  low  estate?  " 

Susannah  was  habituated  to  some  recog 
nition  of  her  beauty;  she  missed  it  here,  not 
knowing  what  she  missed.  Smith  had  known 
that  it  was  important  for  her  to  be  sheltered 
from  the  wind;  he  was  sorry  that  her  skirts 
were  splashed;  his  manner,  casual  as  it  had 
been,  had  at  least  had  in  it  that  element  of 
"  because  you  are  you,"  the  first  essential  of 
any  human  relationship.  But  Susannah  liked 
the  young  Quaker  much  better  than  Smith; 
he  was  of  finer  fibre,  and  her  heart  was  agape 
for  young  companionship;  so,  unconsciously, 
she  resented  his  indifference,  not  only  as  to 
her  sect  but  as  to  her  sex. 

"  My  father  was  an  Englishman,"  she  re 
plied  with  dignity,  not  knowing  why  this 
seemed  sufficient  answer. 

The  Quaker  proceeded  eagerly  with  his 
own  story.  He  had  searched  the  Scriptures 
diligently,  and  found  in  them  no  warrant  for 
believing  that  the  age  of  miracles  and  direct 
revelations  would  ever  pass  from  the  church. 
Then  upon  the  gloom  of  his  deep  despond- 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  33 

ency  a  star  had  arisen.  He  had  heard  of  a 
young  man,  poor,  obscure,  illiterate,  who 
had  dared  to  come  forth  saying  again,  as  St. 
Peter  had  once  said,  "  This  is  that  which  was 
spoken  by  the  prophet  Joel."  He  had  come 
far  to  hear  the  word,  and,  upon  hearing  it, 
he  had  found  rest  for  himself  and  a  hope  for 
the  world. 

His  ardour  was  beginning  to  tell  upon 
Susannah's  mind.  The  desire  awoke  within 
her  for  some  fellowship  with  his  enthusiasm. 
Stronger  was  the  desire  to  receive  personal 
recognition  from  the  fair-faced  youth. 

"  I  am  English,"  she  repeated,  "  and  of 
course  I  think  it  very  wicked  to  add  anything 
to  the  Bible;  it  says  so  in  the  Revelation." 

"  That  to  me  also  was  a  stumbling-block 
for  a  short  time;  but  if  thou  wilt  consider, 
friend,  that  the  Book  of  Mormon  is  the  his 
tory  of  God's  dealing  with  the  wild  races  of 
our  own  continent  from  the  time  of  Noah 
until  the  time  of  Maroni,  which  would  be 
about  three  hundred  years  after  the  first  com 
ing  of  the  Lord,  and  that  this  sacred  history, 
so  necessary  for  the  instruction  of  us  who 
must  now  dwell  in  the  same  land,  could  not 
be  given  until  this  continent  was  known  to 
the  world,  thou  wilt  cease  to  cavil,  and  wilt 
in  all  humility  believe  that  that  which  is  done 
of  the  hand  of  the  Lord  cannot  be  wrong." 

Faith  begging  the  question  is  a  sight  to 
which  the  eye  of  experience  becomes  accus 
tomed,  but  Susannah,  standing  upon  the 


34  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

threshold  of  life,  blinked  and  failed  to  focus 
her  vision,  feeling  vaguely  that  during  the 
last  phrase  some  one  had  turned  a  somersault, 
and  that  too  quickly  to  be  watched. 

"  Thou  wilt  think  upon  these  things?  " 
The  young  Quaker  stood  in  the  storm  and 
looked  earnestly  upon  Susannah,  \vho  was 
upon  her  uncle's  doorstep,  within  shelter  of 
the  brown  pent  house. 

Susannah  smiled.  It  was  a  perfectly  in 
stinctive  smile,  not  one  self-conscious  thought 
went  behind  or  before.  She  smiled  because 
the  young  man  was  comely,  and  because  she 
was  young  and  wanted  companionship. 

"  I  don't  know,"  she  said  with  perfect 
frankness;  "my  aunt  will  be  so  vexed  with 
me  when  she  hears  that  I've  been  to  the 
Smiths  that  I  don't  believe  I'll  be  allowed  to 
think  of  anything  this  good  while." 

Her  smile,  her  girlishness,  seemed  at  last 
to  pierce  beneath  the  armour  of  his  devout 
abstraction.  Fortune  at  work  chooses  her  a 
fine-edged  instrument,  and  Joseph  Smith, 
with  unerring  but  probably  half  conscious  in 
stinct,  had  sent  the  right  messenger.  The 
cloud  of  serious  intent  on  the  youth's  face 
broke  now  into  a  sudden  admiring  glance, 
half  playful  yet  fully  earnest.  His  gray  eyes 
held  for  a  moment  gracious  parley  with  hers. 
"  Wilt  thou,"  he  asked,  still  smiling,  "  give 
it  as  excuse  in  the  day  of  judgment  that  they 
would  not  let  thee  think?  " 

"  N-n-no."     She  was   more  struck  with 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  35 

the  inadequacy  of  the  excuse  than  with  the 
fact  that  she  had  a  better  one  if  she  had 
chosen  to  give  it. 

He  was  again  grave,  but  he  was  not  now 
unappreciative.  "  Thou  art  very  fair,  and 
beauty  to  a  young  woman  is,  no  doubt,  a  great 
snare.  I  will  wrestle  in  prayer  for  thee." 

He  was  going  down  the  brick  walk 
between  the  masses  of  drenched  flowers. 
"  Don't,"  cried  Susannah  faintly,  "  don't  do 
that."  But  he  did  not  hear  her. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE  wind  that  in  the  hurly-burly  out  of 
doors  had  been  a  cheerful  if  boisterous  ene 
my,  seemed  suddenly  transformed  into  a  wail 
ing  spirit  when  Susannah  was  making  her 
way  up  the  stairs  of  the  darkening  wooden 
house.  Its  master  and  mistress  had  not  yet 
returned  from  burying  the  dead.  The  girl 
made  her  way  up  to  Ephraim's  room.  The 
books  were  left  open  upon  the  table;  no  one 
was  there. 

It  was  a  new  thing  that  Ephraim  should 
breast  a  storm. 

Susannah  trudged  downstairs  again  and 
dried  her  bedraggled  skirts  at  the  fire — an 
empty  house,  a  dreary  wailing  wind,  and 
gathering  twilight  for  her  sole  companions. 

At  length  a  step  was  heard.  Ephraim 
came  in  bearing  Susannah's  rain  cloak  and 
goloshes.  He  was  wet,  pale,  and  breathless, 
but  he  would  not  betray  his  weakness  and  ex 
citement  by  a  word. 

"  You  were  looking  for  me,  Ephraim,  and 

some  one  told  you  that  I  had  come  home. 

Did  you  hear  who  brought  me?    O  Ephraim! 

I  have  been  out  walking  with  the  false  proph- 

36 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  37 

et,  and  then  with  one  of  his  disciples."  Su 
sannah,  sitting  by  the  fire,  looked  at  him  try 
ing  to  smile  through  his  gloom. 

She  began  again,  then  stopped;  how  to 
impart  the  full  flavour  of  that  which  had  be 
fallen  her  she  did  not  know.  It  seemed  to 
her  that  the  difficulty  lay  in  Ephraim's  silence. 
She  was  not  aware  that  she  had  not  even  a 
distinct  thought  for  a  certain  interest  in  her 
late  companion  which  she  most  wanted  to  put 
into  words.  "  Ephraim,  it's  all  very  well  for 
you  to  stand  there  drying  your  feet,  but — but 
— they  were  just  like  other  people,  as  you 
told  Mr.  Finney,  you  know." 

"  Did  you  expect  them  to  have  horns  and 
tails?  " 

"  I  don't  think  they  are  very  wicked,"  said 
Susannah.  She  looked  down  as  she  said  it, 
speaking  with  a  certain  undefined  tenderness 
of  tone  begotten  of  a  new  experience. 

"  Well?  " 

"  That's  all." 

"  How  could  you  know  whether  they  are 
wicked  or  not?  "  he  burst  out  angrily.  "  Do 
you  suppose  that  they  would  show  you  the 
iniquity  of  their  hearts?  " 

"  Why,  Ephraim,  you've  always  stood  up 
for  them  before!  " 

He  gave  a  sort  of  snort.  "  I  never  stood 
up  for  them  by  making  eyes  at  my  hands  and 
cooing  out  my  words." 

She  looked  up  in  entire  bewilderment. 

"  It    doesn't    matter   what    I    mean,"    he 


38  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

added.  "  What  did  they  say?  What  did  they 
do?  Tell  me.  If  I'd  known  these  fellows  had 
come  back,  do  you  suppose  I'd  have  let  you 
go?  " 

'  You  are  so  strange,"  she  said.  "  They 
did  nothing  but  just  bring  me  home  and  hold 
the  umbrella,  and  Joseph  Smith  said  he  knew 
he'd  been  a  bad  man  and  didn't  know  any 
thing.  I  thought  you'd  be  interested  to  hear 
about  them,  Ephraim." 

"  I  should  have  thought  you'd  had  too 
much  self-respect  to  allow  him  to  talk  to  you 
like  that.  Of  course  he  was  trying  to  work 
on  your  feelings." 

"  No,  he  wasn't,  Ephraim.  You  are  quite 
as  unjust  as  my  aunt  to-day.  He  wasn't  try 
ing  to  work  on  my  feelings.  He  was  just — 
well,  he  was  sorry  that  my  frock  got  so  wet, 
and  he  just  happened  to  say  the  other  thing. 
I  am  sure " 

Her  conviction  concerning  the  natural 
ness  of  Smith's  conduct  and  the  Quaker's  sin 
cerity  had  arisen  in  the  presence  of  each,  and 
was  not  now  to  be  ascribed  to  any  particular 
word  or  action  which  she  could  remember 
and  repeat. 

"  Oh,  he  was  sorry  your  frock  was 
splashed,  was  he?  And  the  other  fellow  they 
call  Halsey,  was  he  concerned  about  that 
too?  " 

"  Who  told  you  that  his  name  was  Hal 
sey?  "  The  interest  of  her  tone  was  unmis 
takable. 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  39 

"  That  is  his  name,  and  he  must  be  a  de 
graded  fellow  to  take  up  with  Smith." 

She  saw  that  Ephraim's  clothes  were  very 
wet;  he  must  have  walked  far.  She  attrib 
uted  his  exhausted  look  entirely  to  fatigue, 
and  his  ill-temper  to  the  same  cause.  '  Mr. 
Halsey  seemed  quite  good  and  in  earnest,  like 
the  people  that  come  to  see  Mr.  Finney  when 
he  stays  here,  asking  about  saving  their  souls, 
as  if  their  souls  were  something  quite  differ 
ent  from  the  other  part  of  them;  and,  Ephra- 
im,  I  have  often  wanted  to  ask  you,  but  I 
didn't  like  to.  You  don't  believe  what  aunt 
and  uncle  do,  do  you?  Aunt  talks  as  if  you 
didn't  believe.  Do  you  think  " — her  voice 
trembled — "  do  you  think  that  I  ought  to 
think  about  my  soul — that  way?  " 

Ephraim  never  perceived  the  nature  of  her 
difficulty.  He  thought  she  questioned  the 
earnestness  of  life.  He  leaned  back  against 
the  jamb  of  the  chimney,  vainly  trying  to  dis 
pel  his  anger  and  bring  his  mind  under  the 
command  of  reason.  He  looked  at  Susannah 
steadily;  she  was  somewhat  pale  with  weari 
ness  and  excitement;  she  could  never  be  other 
than  beautiful.  How  perfect  was  the  mould 
ing  of  the  strong  firm  chin,  of  the  curving 
nostrils!  The  breadth  of  the  cheek  bone,  the 
height  and  breadth  of  the  brow,  beautiful  as 
they  were  in  their  pink  and  white  tinting, 
conveyed  to  him  almost  more  strongly  the 
sense  of  mental  completeness  than  of  outward 
beauty.  He  did  not  dare  to  look  at  her  ques- 

4 


40  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

tioning  eyes;  his  glance  travelled  over  the 
amber  ringlets,  damp  and  tossed  just  now, 
drooping  as  if  to  say  "  Susannah  is  lonely  and 
perplexed,  and  she  needs  your  help."  Ephra- 
im,  proud,  and  mortified  to  think  how  ill  he 
compared  with  her,  laughed  fiercely  within 
himself.  This  was  a  young  woman  of  dis 
tinction,  and  just  now  she  knew  it  so  little 
that  she  sat  looking  up  with  respect  at  his  ill- 
conditioned  self.  How  long  would  that  last? 
How  long  would  she  remember  any  word  that 
he  chanced  to  say  to  her? 

"  Susannah,  I  think  you  are  very  igno 
rant.  Were  you  never  taught  anything  when 
you  were  a  little  girl?  " 

"  My  father  and  his  friends  were  always 
polite  to  me."  She  spoke  with  grave,  rather 
than  offended,  dignity. 

"She  is  entirely  sweet,"  he  said  to  himself; 
"  she  will  never  answer  me  in  anger."  Then 
he  went  on  aloud,  "And  I  am  not  polite;  I 
am  ill-trained  and  ill-bred.  Well,  listen,  Sus 
annah.  Whatever  my  mother  may  or  may 
not  tell  you  about  my  peculiar  opinions,  what 
ever  /  choose  to  believe  or  to  do,  remember 
this,  that  I  tell  you  that  you  have  a  soul  to 
be  eternally  lost  or  saved,  and  it  behoves  you 
to  walk  carefully  and  concern  yourself  about 
your  salvation."  There  was  a  vibration  of 
intense  warning  in  his  voice.  He  was  think 
ing  of  the  life  that  might  be  so  noble  if  will 
and  reason  sided  with  God,  and  of  the  snares 
that  the  world  lays  for  beauty,  and  the  light 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  41 

way  in  which  beauty  might  walk  into  them; 
and,  as  with  all  dreamy  minds,  he  was  too 
absorbed  in  his  thought  to  know  how  lit 
tle  it  shone  through  the  veil  in  which  he 
wrapped  it. 

Susannah  grew  a  shade  paler.  She  had 
struggled  in  a  blind  child-fashion  to  maintain 
a  religion  that  would  embrace  her  manifold 
life,  but  now  it  appeared  that,  after  all,  Ephra- 
im  endorsed  the  general  view;  his  refusal  to 
comply  openly  with  it  came  of  wilfulness,  not 
unbelief.  The  stronghold  of  her  peace  was 
gone.  "  My  papa  never  spoke  to  me  about 
religion  in  that  way,  but  I  don't  think  he  be 
lieved  that." 

Ephraim  thought  of  the  weak  and  reck 
less  young  father,  of  the  careless  life  broken 
suddenly  by  death. 

"  He  has  learned  the  truth  now,"  he  said 
shortly. 

After  a  pause,  in  which  she  did  not  speak, 
he  betook  himself  to  his  own  rooms,  leaving 
Susannah  to  the  companionship  of  the  lonely 
house,  the  howling  wind,  the  gathering  night, 
and  a  new  fear  of  a  state  eternal  and  infernal, 
into  which  she  might  so  easily  slip.  Ephraim 
said  so,  and  he  would  never  have  proclaimed 
what  he  would  not  comply  with  unless  its 
truth  were  very  sure. 

As  for  him,  his  self-despite  was  pain  that 
rendered  him  oblivious  of  her  real  danger. 
Where  was  his  boasted  justice?  Gone  before 
a  breath  of  jealousy.  The  neighbours  had 


42  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

told  him  that  she  had  smiled  on  Halsey,  and 
the  abuse  of  the  Smithites,  in  which  his  moth 
er  indulged  in  the  blindness  of  religious  party- 
spirit,  had  fallen  from  his  lips  as  soon  as  his 
own  passion  had  been  touched.  Had  his  for 
mer  candour,  then,  been  the  thing  his  moth 
er  called  it,  indifference  to,  rather  than  rever 
ence  for  truth? 

This  was  the  travail  of  soul  that  Susannah 
could  have  as  little  thought  of  as  he  had  of 
hers.  It  held  Ephraim  in  its  fangs  for  many 
days. 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE  return  of  Smith  and  his  few  follow 
ers,  and  the  speedy  publication  of  the  first 
edition  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  stirred  anew 
the  flames  of  religious  excitement.  All  other 
sects  were  at  one  in  decrying  "  the  Mor 
mons,"  as  they  now  began  to  be  called  by 
their  enemies.  There  was  perhaps  good  rea 
son  for  intelligent  disapprobation,  but  Un 
derstanding  was  left  far  behind  the  flying  feet 
of  Zeal,  who,  torch  in  hand,  rushed  from 
house  to  house.  It  was  related  that  Joseph 
Smith  was  in  the  habit  of  wounding  inoffen 
sive  sheep  and  leading  them  bleeding  over  the 
neighbouring  hills  under  the  pretext  that 
treasure  would  be  found  beneath  the  spot 
where  they  would  at  last  drop  exhausted;  and 
there  were  dark  hints  concerning  benighted 
travellers  who,  staying  all  night  at  the  Smiths' 
cabin,  had  seen  awful  apparitions  and  been 
glad  to  fly  from  the  place,  leaving  their  prop 
erty  behind.  There  was  a  story  of  diabolical 
influence  which  Smith  had  exercised  in  order 
to  gain  the  young  wife  whom  he  had  stolen 
from  her  father's  roof,  and,  worse  than  all, 
there  were  descriptions  of  occult  rites  carried 

43 


44  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

on  in  secret  places,  where  the  most  bloody 
mysteries  of  the  Mosaic  priesthood  were  hor 
ribly  travestied  by  Smith  and  his  friends, 
Cowdery  and  Rigdon,  in  order  to  dupe  the 
simple  into  belief  in  the  new  revelation. 

Ephraim  Croom  had  again  withdrawn 
himself  out  of  hearing  of  the  controversy. 
Judging  that  Susannah  was  sufficiently 
guarded  by  his  parents  to  be  safe,  he  became 
almost  oblivious  of  conversation  which  he 
despised.  He  did  not  reflect  that  Susannah 
knew  nothing  of  his  hidden  conflict,  that  she 
could  only  perceive  that,  after  uttering  an 
ominous  warning,  he  had  left  her  to  work 
out  its  application  alone. 

It  was  at  first  not  at  all  her  liking  for  the 
Smiths,  but  only  her  unbiassed  common 
sense,  which  convinced  her  that  the  wild 
stories  told  concerning  them  were  untrue. 
When  she  became  enraged  at  their  untruth 
she  became  more  kindly  disposed  toward  the 
young  mother,  whose  baby  had  made  a  strong 
appeal  to  her  girlish  heart,  and  the  big  kindly 
lout  of  a  man  who  had  sheltered  her  from 
the  rain.  This  benevolent  disposition  might 
have  slumbered  unfruitful  but  for  the  memory 
of  the  fine  and  resolute  face  of  the  young  dis 
ciple  who  had  promised  to  wrestle  in  prayer 
for  her.  There  was  novelty  in  the  thought. 
The  gay  witch  Novelty  often  apes  the  form 
of  Love.  Susannah  did  not  know  Love,  so 
she  did  not  recognise  even  the  vestments 
falsely  worn,  but  they  attracted  her  all  the 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  45 

same.  Her  young  blood  boiled  when  her 
aunt,  dimly  discerning  some  unlooked-for  ob 
stinacy  in  her  niece's  mind,  repeated  each  new 
report  in  disfavour  of  the  Mormons.  It  was 
the  old  story  about  the  blood  of  the  martyrs, 
for  ridicule  and  slander  spill  the  pregnant 
blood  of  the  soul;  but  they  who  believe  them 
selves  to  be  of  the  Church  can  seldom  believe 
that  any  blood  but  their  own  will  bear  fruit. 
Every  stab  given  to  the  reputation  of  the 
Smiths  was  an  appeal  to  Susannah's  sympa 
thy  for  them.  Mrs.  Croom,  with  a  sense  of 
solemn  responsibility,  was  at  great  cost  bring 
ing  all  her  influence  to  bear  upon  the  young 
girl  whom  her  son  loved.  She  drearily  said 
to  herself,  after  many  days,  that  her  influence 
was  weak,  that  it  accomplished  nothing.  The 
strength  of  it  pushed  Susannah,  who  stood 
faltering  at  the  parting  of  the  ways,  and  the 
impetus  of  that  push  was  felt  in  her  rapid 
and  unsteady  step  for  many  and  many  a  year. 

One  day,  when  the  men  were  out  cutting 
the  maize,  Susannah  rode  with  her  uncle  to 
the  most  distant  of  his  fields,  and  found  her 
self  on  the  hill  called  in  Smith's  revelation 
Cumorah. 

The  sound  of  the  men  at  work  and  the 
horses  shaking  their  harness  was  close  in  her 
ears  while  she  strayed  over  this  bit  of  hilly 
woodland.  It  is  one  of  the  low  ridges  that 
intersect  the  meadows  on  the  banks  of  the 
Canandaigua,  and  here  Smith  professed  to 
have  found  the  golden  book.  It  was  because 


46  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

of  this  that  Susannah  had  the  curiosity  to 
climb  it  now. 

The  beech  wood  grew  thick  upon  it;  the 
afternoon  sun  struck  its  slant  sunbeams  across 
their  boles.  Once,  where  the  beeches  parted, 
she  came  upon  a  fairy  glade  where  two  or 
three  maples,  fading  early,  had  carpeted  the 
ground  with  a  mosaic  of  gold  and  red,  and 
were  holding  up  the  remainder  of  their  foli 
age,  pink  and  yellow,  in  the  light.  The  beau 
ty  wrought  in  her  a  dreamy  receptive  mood. 
Climbing  higher,  she  came  upon  a  very  curi 
ous  dip  or  hollow  in  the  ground.  In  its  nar 
rowest  part  a  man  was  lying  prostrate;  his 
face  was  buried  in  his  hat,  which  was  lying 
upon  the  ground  between  his  hands;  the 
whole  expression  of  his  body  was  that  of  at 
tention  concentrated  upon  something  within 
the  hat.  When  she  came  close  he  moved  with 
a  convulsive  start,  and  she  saw  that  it  was 
Joseph  Smith. 

His  look  changed  into  one  of  deference 
and  satisfaction.  He  rose  up,  lifting  his  hat 
carefully;  in  it  lay  a  curious  stone  composed 
of  bright  crystals,  in  shape  not  unlike  a  child's 
foot. 

"  It's  my  peepstone,"  he  said.  "  It's  the 
stone  I  look  into  when  I  pray  that  I  may  be 
shown  what  to  do."  Exactly  as  one  child 
might  show  to  another  some  worthless  object 
he  deemed  choice,  he  showed  the  stone  to  her. 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean.  How 
could  a  stone  help  you?  " 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  47 

"  All  I  know  is  that  when  I've  been  lying 
for  a  long  time,  feeling  that  I'm  a  poor  fel 
low  and  haven't  got  no  sense  anyway,  and 
the  tears  come  to  my  eyes  and  gush  out,  feel 
ing  I'm  so  poor  and  mean,  then  when  I  lie 
and  look  and  look  into  this  peepstone,  I  see 
things  in  it,  pictures  of  things  that  is  to  be, 
and  sometimes  of  things  that  are  just  hap 
pening  alongside  of  me  that  I  didn't  know 
any  other  way.  I  can't  say  how  it  may  be; 
I  only  know  when  I  see  it  that  I  am  '  account 
ed  worthy.' ' 

"  You  couldn't  see  anything  in  the  stone/' 

"  No  more  I  couldn't.  The  stone's 
nothing,  an'  I'm  nothing,  and  that's  why, 
when  I  do  see  the  pictures,  I  know  it  must 
be  either  God  or  the  devil  that  sends  them; 
and  it's  not  the  devil,  for  I  always  work  my 
self  up  to  a  mighty  lot  of  praying  first,  and 
why  should  the  pictures  come  after  that  if  it 
was  the  devil?  " 

"  What  do  you  see?  " 

"  I'll  tell  you  one  thing  I  have  seen. 
Mebbe  you'll  know  what  it  means;  mebbe 
you  won't.  I  don't  know  myself  rightly  yet. 
I've  often  to  study  on  those  things  a  long 
while  before  I  know  what  they  mean,  but  late 
ly  I've  seen  you." 

"  Me?  " 

:t  Yes,  you,  miss.  The  things  I  see  are 
like  small  tiny  pictures  inside  the  stone.  Your 
bonnet  was  off.  You  were  inside  a  room. 
There  was  tables  and  chairs,  and  there  was  a 


48  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

man  there.  He  wasn't  very  old;  he  had  light 
hair." 

"  What  had  he  to  do  with  me?  "  she  asked, 
astonished. 

"  I  just  saw  you  stand  there,  and  him  a-sit- 
ting,  but  a  voice  in  my  own  heart  seemed  to 
say " 

"What?" 

"  It  was  one  of  my  revelations.  If  I  tell 
you,  you  won't  believe  it.  Howsomever,  I 
think  it's  my  duty  to  tell  you,  although  you 
may  tell  your  folks,  and  they  may  persecute 
me."  He  paused  here,  and  when  he  began 
again  it  was  in  a  different  tone  of  voice  and 
with  a  singing  cadence.  "  The  voice  said, 
'  I  say  unto  thee,  she  shall  see  the  white  stone, 
and  shall  be  told  the  thing  that  she  shall  do 
for  the  salvation  of  her  soul;  and  I  say  unto 
thee,  Joseph  Smith  junior,  that  thou  shalt 
say  unto  her  to  look  upon  the  stone,  for  she 
is  chosen  to  go  through  suffering  and  grief 
for  a  little  space,  and  after  that  to  have  great 
riches  and  honour,  and  in  the  world  to  come 
life  everlasting.' ' 

As  he  spoke  he  was  holding  up  the  stone, 
which  glistened  in  the  sunlight,  before  her 
eyes. 

Susannah  stared  at  it  to  prove  to  her 
self  that  there  was  nothing  remarkable  about 
it.  The  feeling  of  opposition  seemed  to  die 
of  itself,  and  then  she  had  a  curious  sensation 
of  arousing  herself  with  a  start  from  a  fixed 
posture  and  momentary  oblivion.  That  after- 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 


49 


noon  as  she  was  going  home,  and  in  the  fol 
lowing  days,  phrases  and  sentences  from  the 
prophecy  which  Joseph  Smith  had  pro 
nounced  in  regard  to  her  clung  to  her  mind. 
In  disdain  she  tried  to  tell  herself  that  the 
man  was  mad;  in  childlike  wonder  she  con 
sidered  what  might  be  the  mystery  of  the 
vision  within  the  stone  and  the  prophecy  if 
he  were  not  mad.  She  had  never  heard  of 
crystal-gazing;  the  phrase  "  mental  automat 
ism  "  had  not  then  been  invented  by  the  psy 
chologists;  still  less  could  she  suspect  that 
she  herself  might  have  come  partially  under 
the  influence  of  hypnotic  suggestion.  The 
large  kindliness  of  the  new  prophet,  the  steady 
sobriety  and  childlikeness  of  his  demeanour, 
the  absence  of  any  appearance  of  policy  or 
premeditation,  were  not  in  harmony  with 
fraud  or  madness.  Her  gentle  intelligence 
was  puzzled,  as  all  the  candid  historians  of 
this  man  have  since  been  puzzled.  Then, 
tired  of  the  puzzle,  she  fell  again  to  contem 
plating  scraps  of  his  speech,  which,  having 
a  Scriptural  sound,  suggested  piety.  "  She 
shall  be  told  the  thing  that  she  shall  do  for 
the  salvation  of  her  soul,"  "  She  is  chosen  to 
go  through  suffering  and  grief  for  a  little 
space."  How  strange  if,  impossible  as  it 
might  seem,  these  words  had  come  to  her — 
to  her — direct  from  the  mind  of  the  Al 
mighty! 


CHAPTER  VI. 

SOME  days  after  this  Susannah  sat  alone 
at  the  window  of  the  family  room,  the  long 
white  seam  on  which  she  was  at  work  envel 
oping  her  knees. 

Far  off  on  the  horizon  the  cumulous 
clouds  lay  with  level  under-ridges,  their  upper 
outlines  softly  heaped  in  pearly  lights  and 
shades  of  dun  and  gray.  Beneath  them  the 
hilly  line  of  the  forest  was  broken  distinctly 
against  the  cloud  by  the  spikes  of  giant  pines. 
That  far  outline  was  blue,  not  the  turquoise 
blue  of  the  sky  above  the  clouds,  but  the  blue 
that  we  see  on  cabbage  leaves,  or  such  blue 
as  the  moonlight  makes  when  it  falls  through 
a  frosted  pane — steel  blue,  so  full  of  light  as 
to  be  luminous  in  itself.  From  this  the  nearer 
contour  of  the  forest  emerged,  painted  in 
green,  with  patches  and  streaks  of  russet; 
the  nearer  groves  were  beginning  to  change 
colour,  and,  vivid  in  the  sunlight,  the  fields 
were  yellow.  From  the  top  of  a  low  hill  which 
met  the  sky  came  the  white  road  winding 
over  rise  and  hollow  till  it  passed  the  door. 
Who  has  not  felt  the  invitation,  silent,  per- 
50 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  51 

sistent,  of  a  road  that  leads  through  a  lonely 
land  to  the  unseen  beyond  the  hill? 

Susannah  was  again  alone  in  the  house; 
this  time  Ephraim  was  absent  with  his  moth 
er,  and  her  uncle  was  at  the  mill.  On  the 
white  road  she  saw  a  man  approaching  whose 
dress  showed  him  to  be  Smith's  Quaker  con 
vert,  Angel  Halsey,  a  name  she  had  conned 
till  it  had  become  familiar.  He  did  not  pass, 
but  opened  the  gate  of  the  small  garden  path 
and  came  up  between  the  two  borders  of 
sweet-smelling  box.  In  the  garden  China 
asters,  zenias,  and  prince's  feather,  dahlias, 
marigolds,  and  love-lies-bleeding  were  falling 
over  one  another  in  luxuriant  waste.  The 
young  man  neither  looked  to  right  nor  to  left. 
He  scanned  the  house  eagerly,  and  his  eyes 
found  the  window  at  which  Susannah  sat. 
He  stepped  across  the  flowers  and  stood,  his 
blonde  face  upturned,  below  the  open  sash. 
Under  his  light  eyebrows  his  hazel  eyes  shone 
with  a  singularly  bright  and  exalted  expres 
sion. 

"  Come,  friend  Susannah,"  said  he,  "  I 
have  been  sent  to  bring  you  to  witness  my 
baptism,"  and  with  that  he  turned  and  walked 
slowly  down  the  path,  as  if  waiting  for  her 
to  follow. 

Susannah,  filled  with  surprise,  watched 
him  as  he  made  slowly  for  the  gate,  as  if  as 
sured  that  she  would  come.  When  he  got 
to  it  he  set  it  open,  and,  holding  it,  looked 
back. 


52  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

She  dropped  the  long  folds  of  muslin,  and 
they  fell  upon  the  floor  knee-deep  about  her; 
she  stepped  out  of  them  and  walked  across 
the  old  familiar  living-room,  with  its  long 
strips  of  worn  rag-carpet,  its  old  polished 
chairs,  and  smoky  walls.  The  face  of  the 
eight-day  clock  stared  hard  at  her  with  im 
passive  yet  Kindly  glance,  but  its  voice  only 
steadily  recorded  that  the  moments  were 
passing  one  by  one,  like  to  all  other  mo 
ments. 

Susannah  went  out  of  the  door.  The  sun 
drew  forth  aromatic  scent  from  the  borders 
of  box,  and  her  light  skirt  brushed  the  blos 
soms  that  leaned  too  far  over.  Outside  the 
wicket  gate  at  which  the  young  man  stood 
was  a  young  quince  tree  laden  with  pale- 
green  fruit.  Susannah  let  her  eyes  rest  upon 
it  as  she  spoke;  she  even  let  her  mind  wan 
der  for  a  second  to  think  how  soon  the  fruit 
would  be  gathered. 

"  Why  should  I  come  to  see  your  bap 
tism?  "  she  asked,  with  her  voice  on  the  up 
ward  cadence. 

The  young  man  blushed  deeply.  "  I  am 
come  to  thee  with  a  message  from  heaven." 
He  glanced  upward  to  the  great  sky  that  was 
the  colour  of  turquoise,  cloudless,  serene. 

"  It  is  a  strange  errand."  There  was  a 
touch  of  reproof  in  her  voice,  and  yet  also 
the  vibration  of  awe-struck  inquiry.  Her 
mind  rushed  at  once  to  the  memory  of  Jo 
seph  Smith's  prophecy. 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  53 

"  Come,  friend/'  said  the  young  Quaker 
very  gently. 

"  I  can't  possibly  go." 

His  strange  reply  was,  "  With  God  all 
things  are  possible." 

The  text  fell  upon  her  mind  with  force. 

"  Come,"  he  said  gently,  and  he  motioned 
that  he  would  shut  the  gate  behind  her. 

"  Not  now;  my  shoes  are  not  stout;  I  have 
no  bonnet  or  shawl." 

"  Put  thy  kerchief  over  thy  head  and 
come,  friend  Susannah,  for  '  no  man,  putting 
his  hand  to  the  plough,  and  looking  back, 
is  fit  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven.' ' 

At  this  he  walked  on,  and  she  was  forced 
to  follow  for  a  few  steps  to  ask  an  explana 
tion.  She  tied  her  kerchief  over  her  head  and 
the  thick  white  dust  covered  her  slender 
shoes. 

"  What  do  you  want  me  to  come  for?  " 
she  asked. 

He  looked  upon  her,  colouring  again  with 
the  effort  to  express  what  was  to  him  sacred. 
"  It  has  been  given  to  me  to  pray  for  thy 
soul.  To-day,  as  I  prayed,  it  was  borne  in 
upon  me  that  thou  shouldst  be  with  me  in 
the  waters  of  baptism." 

Susannah  paused  on  the  road,  planting 
the  heels  of  her  shoes  deeply  in  the  dust.  "  I 
will  not,"  she  cried.  "  I  will  never  believe  in 
Joseph  Smith." 

"  And  yet  it  has  been  revealed,  friend,  that 
thou  art  one  of  the  elect.  The  time  will  come 


54  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

very  soon  when  thou  wilt  believe  to  the  sal 
vation  of  thy  soul." 

He  walked  slowly  onward,  and  after  a 
minute  Susannah,  with  quickened  steps,  fol 
lowed  him,  in  high  anger  now.  "  I  do  not 
believe  in  the  revelations  of  Joseph  Smith," 
she  cried.  And  because  he  did  not  appear 
offended  she  spoke  more  rudely,  catching  at 
phrases  to  which  she  had  become  accustomed. 
"  If  the  salvation  of  my  soul  should  depend 
upon  it,  I  would  rather  lose  it  than  believe." 

But  when  she  had  said  these  last  words  a 
little  gasp  came  in  her  breath,  and  her  heart 
quailed  in  realising  the  possibility  of  which 
she  had  spoken.  Her  own  angry  words  had 
diverted  her  attention  from  questioning  the 
reasonableness  of  the  new  faith  to  the  fearful 
contemplation  of  what  might  be  the  result  of 
rejection. 

If  she  quailed  at  her  own  speech,  the  grief 
of  the  young  Quaker  was  more  obvious.  He 
put  up  his  hands  as  if  in  fear  that  she  should 
add  to  her  sin  by  repeating  her  words.  Quiet 
as  was  his  demeanour,  the  emotional  side  of 
his  nature  had  evidently  been  deeply  wrought 
upon  to-day,  for  when  he  tried  to  speak  to 
reprove  her,  grief  choked  his  utterance.  It 
was  not  at  that  time  a  strange  thing  for  men 
under  the  influence  of  religious  convictions 
to  weep  easily.  On  the  contrary,  it  was  ac 
counted  by  evangelists  a  sign  of  great  grace; 
but  Susannah,  accustomed  only  to  the  reserve 
of  English  gentlemen  and  her  uncle's  stern 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  55 

Puritan  self-repression,  seeing  this  young 
Quaker  weep  for  her  sake,  was  greatly 
touched.  She  became  possessed  by  an  ex 
cited  desire  to  console  him. 

The  young  man  turned,  weeping  as  he 
went,  into  a  little  wood  that  here  bordered 
the  road.  Susannah  followed,  full  of  ruth, 
thinking  that  he  merely  sought  temporary 
shade. 

They  had  proceeded  under  the  trees  a  few 
paces  when  Emma  Smith  came  up  from  the 
bank  of  the  river  to  meet  them.  Halsey  con 
trolled  himself  and  spoke  to  Emma. 

"  She  has  refused.  For  this  time  she  has 
rejected  the  truth." 

Now  to  Susannah  the  matter  for  amaze 
ment  was  that  she  had  come  so  far  from  home 
(although  it  was  not  very  far),  that  she  had 
actually  arrived,  as  it  seemed,  at  an  appointed 
place.  The  sting  that  this  gave  to  her  pride 
was  greatly  eased  by  perceiving  that  she  had 
not  by  this  fulfilled  his  hopes. 

Emma  Smith  had  a  pale,  patient  face, 
which  was  at  this  time  made  peculiarly  digni 
fied  by  a  look  of  solemn  excitement.  Young 
as  she  was,  she  turned  to  Susannah  with  a 
protecting  motherly  air. 

"  Perhaps  next  time  the  opportunity  is 
offered  the  young  lady  will  embrace  it  and 
save  her  soul."  She  spoke  consolingly  to 
Halsey,  but  looked  at  Susannah  with  encour 
aging  and  respectful  eyes.  "  You  will  see 
this  young  man  baptized?  "  she  asked. 

5 


56  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

Under  the  protection  of  Emma  Smith, 
Susannah  stooped  under  the  willow  boughs 
and  found  herself  upon  the  bank  of  the  river 
in  the  presence  of  Joseph  Smith,  his  mother, 
and  some  half-dozen  men. 

Lucy  Smith  was  muttering  somewhat 
concerning  a  vision  of  angels,  and  the  sup 
pressed  excitement  of  them  all  was  manifest. 
Susannah  was  infected  by  it;  she  was  now 
tremulous  and  eager  to  see  wnat  was  to  be 
seen. 

Joseph  Smith  advanced  into  the  flowing 
river  and  stood  in  a  pool  where  the  water  was 
well  up  to  his  thighs.  Standing  thus,  he 
began  to  speak  in  the  same  formal  tone  and 
with  the  same  solemn  expression  that  Susan 
nah  had  marked  when  he  spoke  the  revela 
tion  concerning  herself,  but  more  loudly. 
"  Behold!  we  have  gathered  together  accord 
ing  to  the  revelation  which  has  been  given  to 
me " 

Here  a  dark  young  man  called  Oliver 
Cowdery  groaned  and  said  "  Amen."  A 
tremble  of  excitement  went  through  the 
group  upon  the  shore. 

Loudly  the  prophet  went  on — "  Knowing 
well  that  there  is  nothing  in  me,  who  was 
wicked  and  graceless  to  a  very  high  degree, 
and  wanting  in  knowledge,  but  was  yet 
chosen,  upon  this  sinful  earth  and  in  these 
last  days,  when  wickedness  and  hypocrisy  is 
abounding,  to  open  to  all  who  would  be 
saved  a  new  church  which  is  such  as  that 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  57 

which  the  angel  hath  revealed  to  me  a  church 
should  be,  and  all  them  which  shall  receive 
my  word  and  shall  be  baptized  of  me  or  of 
Mr.  Oliver  Cowdery,  whom  the  angel  Maroni, 
descending  in  a  cloud  of  light,  has  ordained 
with  me  to  the  priesthood  of  Aaron,  which 
holds  the  keys  of  the  ministering  of  angels 
and  of  the  gospel  of  repentance  and  of  bap 
tism  by  immersion  for  the  remission  of  sins. 
And  this  shall  never  again  be  taken  from  the 
earth  until  the  sons  of  Levi  do  offer  again  an 
offering  unto  the  Lord  in  the  new  Jerusalem.'' 

The  loud  voice  carried  with  it  an  impres 
sion  of  strong  personal  feeling;  the  effect  on 
the  bystanders  was  such  as  the  words  alone 
were  wholly  inadequate  to  produce.  Cow 
dery,  who  during  the  speech  had  frequently 
groaned  and  responded,  after  the  Methodist 
fashion,  now  shouted  and  clapped  his  hands 
towards  the  heavens,  whereupon  Lucy  Smith 
fell  into  a  convulsive  state  between  laughter 
and  tears,  and  the  men  standing  beside  her 
dropped  upon  their  knees.  Emma  Smith  re 
mained  standing;  upon  her  face  was  a  rapt 
triumphant  expression.  She  put  her  arm 
round  Susannah  protectingly,  and  Susannah 
did  not  repulse  the  familiar  action. 

Joseph  Smith  now  in  the  same  voice  called 
upon  his  father  to  be  baptized.  He  addressed 
him  formally  as  "  Joseph  Smith  senior."  The 
old  man  had,  as  it  seemed,  a  great  fear  of  the 
water.  It  took  both  priests  of  the  new  sect 
together  to  lift  and  immerse  him.  There  was 


58  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

more  splashing  than  was  seemly.  The  bap 
tism  of  a  farmer  named  Martin  Harris,  which 
followed,  was  more  decorous. 

The  sunlight  lay  bright  on  the  other  side 
of  the  flowing  river,  and  the  shadow  of  the 
willow  tops  above  them  was  outlined  on  the 
stream.  On  the  sunny  bank  opposite  there 
was  a  thicket  of  sumac  trees  reddening  to  the 
autumn  heat;  the  wild  vine  was  climbing 
upon  them,  making  their  foliage  the  more 
dense,  and  at  their  roots,  by  the  edge  of  the 
stream,  the  golden  rod  was  massed.  On  the 
bank  on  which  they  stood  the  colouring  was 
more  quiet.  A  few  ragged  spikes  of  the  pur 
ple  aster  were  all  that  grew  under  the  gray 
green  willows,  which  with  every  breath 
turned  the  silver  underside  of  their  soft  foli 
age  to  the  wind.  The  place  for  the  baptism 
had  no  doubt  been  chosen  because  of  the 
depth  of  the  water,  and  because  the  bank  here 
was  comparatively  bare. 

It  was  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 
The  steady  sound  of  the  mattock  in  a  neigh 
bouring  field  was  the  only  token  of  the  com 
mon  bustling  world  that  lay  close  around  the 
curious  isolation  of  the  hour. 

It  was  time  that  Angel  Halsey  should  be 
baptized.  In  his  Quaker  clothes  he  waded 
into  the  water.  His  manner  now  was  entirely 
serene,  his  face  full  of  joy. 

A  thought  was  struck  wedge-like  into 
Susannah's  understanding.  If  Halsey,  who 
was  so  manifestly  on  a  higher  plane  of  edu- 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  59 

cation  and  refinement  than  these  others, 
could  so  triumphantly  embrace  the  new  faith, 
it  must  surely  contain  more  of  virtue  and  rea 
son  than  she  could  see.  The  influence  of 
what  he  was,  being  so  much  greater  than  the 
influence  of  what  he  had  said,  caused  her 
mind  to  work  with  solemn  earnestness  as  she 
followed  him  in  sympathy  through  the  sym 
bol  of  death  and  resurrection. 

When  the  prophet  came  back  to  the 
shore  he  appeared  for  the  first  time  to  recog 
nise  Susannah,  and  stopped  before  her,  but 
at  first  with  a  distraught  manner,  as  if  he 
were  trying  to  recollect  some  dream  that 
eluded  him.  He  still  had  his  hand  familiarly 
on  Halsey's  arm,  for  he  had  been  conducting 
him  out  of  the  water. 

"  This  is  the  elect  sister?  "  Smith  asked  in 
a  hesitating  tone,  as  if  still  striving  with  mem 
ory.  "  Does  she  desire  baptism?  " 

"  Not  yet,"  answered  Halsey,  "  but  I  have 
asked  the  Lord  for  her  soul,  and  I  believe  that 
it  has  been  given." 

In  Halsey's  mind  up  to  this  moment 
there  was,  no  doubt,  only  the  solicitude  of 
the  missionary  spirit;  but  Smith  was  a  man 
whose  mind  was  cast  in  a  different  mould;  he 
had  already  marked  the  solicitude  and  given 
it  his  own  interpretation,  and  he  had  already 
opened  his  own  eyes  upon  her  beauty.  How 
far  this  had  conscious  connection  with  the 
condition  of  actual  trance  into  which  he  now 
fell  cannot  be  known.  It  is  probable  that 


60  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

what  the  Psalmist  calls  the  "  secret  parts  "  are 
not  in  such  minds  as  Smith's  open  to  the 
man's  own  eye. 

Smith  became  wrapped  in  a  sudden  ecsta 
sy.  Oblivious  of  all  around  him,  he  looked 
up  into  the  heavens,  and  it  was  apparent  that 
his  eyes  were  not  beholding  the  material  ob 
jects  around.  Those  about  him  gazed  awe 
struck,  waiting  and  listening,  for  he  began  to 
speak  in  a  low  unknown  tongue,  as  if  hold 
ing  converse  with  some  one  above. 

Susannah  shrank  back,  but  was  held  by 
Emma's  encouraging  arm.  Halsey  stayed 
perforce,  for  the  prophet's  grasp  had  tight 
ened  convulsively  upon  him. 

In  a  few  moments  the  vision  was  over, 
and  Joseph  Smith  opened  his  eyes  and  smiled 
in  his  own  slow  kindly  way  upon  the  fright 
ened  girl  and  upon  Angel  Halsey,  who  stood 
with  steadfast  mien. 

"  It  has  been  revealed  to  me  in  heaven  that 
the  soul  of  the  elect  sister  is  indeed  given  to 
be  united  to  the  soul  of  this  young  disciple, 
that  thereby  she  may  obtain  salvation." 

He  took  Susannah's  hand,  and  she  felt  no 
power  to  resist  him;  he  clasped  Halsey's  al 
most  more  timid  and  reluctant  hand  over  it. 

"  Wherefore  in  the  sight  of  God  and  in 
the  sight  of  these  elect  saints  now  present  I 
declare  that  these  two  are  joined  together  in 
the  mystical  union  of  a  most  holy  marriage 
which  God  himself  has  revealed  from  heaven." 

For  some  moments  Susannah  gazed  fas- 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  6l 

cinated;  then  she  snatched  away  her  hand; 
dignity  sought  to  maintain  itself;  pride  rose 
up  in  anger.  Her  growing  awe  of  the  prophet 
numbed  to  a  certain  extent  both  these  senti 
ments,  but  stronger  than  pride  and  self-re 
spect  and  awe  was  some  tender  shame  within 
her  heart  which  was  hurt  beyond  enduring, 
so  that  she  put  her  hands  before  her  face  and 
wept,  and  walked  away  from  them  weeping, 
followed  by  Emma,  who  began,  as  they 
walked,  to  weep  in  sympathy. 

Tears  bring  relief  to  the  brain,  a  relief  it 
is  hard  to  distinguish  from  comfort  of  soul. 
When  Susannah  could  check  her  unaccus 
tomed  sobs,  when  she  found  herself  walking 
quietly  homeward  with  only  the  weeping 
Emma  by  her  side,  the  spirit  of  long  suffering 
and  patience  stole  upon  her  unawares. 

"  Why  do  you  cry?  "  she  asked  gently. 

"  I  think  it  must  be  so  hard  for  you," 
said  Emma;  "  it's  been  very  hard  for  me,  al 
though  I  love  Joseph  with  all  my  heart;  but 
you  are  so  childish  and  so  good-looking,  it 
seems  someways  as -if  it  came  harder  on  you; 
and  then  that  Mr.  Halsey  hasn't  got  the 
warmth  of  heart  that  Joseph  has." 

To  this  astonishing  reply  Susannah  found 
no  answer.  Emma  was  too  respectable,  too 
honest  in  her  sympathy,  to  be  derided,  but 
Susannah's  understanding  could  ill  endure 
the  thought  that  the  incident  of  the  hour  was 
important.  As  the  outcome  of  honest  delu 
sion,  she  might  forgive  it;  something  in  the 


62  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

pathos  of  Halsey's  strained  face  as  she  re 
membered  his  look  when  she  turned  away 
weeping,  urged  her  to  forgiveness. 

"  Mr.  Halsey  is  nothing  to  me,"  said  Sus 
annah  at  last;  she  spoke  with  a  falter  in  her 
voice,  for  Emma's  unfeigned  grief  touched 
her. 

"  Oh!  don't  say  that.  Some  judgment 
might  come  on  you  that  would  be  worse  than 
any  suffering  that  would  come  from  obedi 
ence  to  the  word  of  the  Lord;  and  besides, 
it's  the  will  of  God,  you  see;  and  of  course 
He'll  see  that  it's  done,  so  you'd  be  punished 
for  rebellion,  and  you'd  have  to  obey  all  the 
same." 

Susannah  was  beginning  to  be  infected  by 
this  steady  assumption  that  God  had  indeed 
spoken.  Could  it  be  possible? 


CHAPTER   VII. 

How  much  better  humanity  might  have 
been  had  we  been  at  the  world's  making  we 
cannot  tell,  but  as  it  is,  the  Creator  knows  that 
a  woman  whose  veins  are  pulsing  with  youth 
does  not  know,  as  she  stands  between  her 
lovers,  how  far  influences  not  born  of  reason 
are  affecting  her  understanding.  Ephraim 
remained  neglectful,  and  Susannah  remem 
bered  with  more  and  more  distinct  compas 
sion  Halsey's  wistful  face  and  the  touch  of 
his  trembling  hand.  But  the  emotion  which 
is  deeper  than  human  love  was  also  in  fer 
ment.  The  shock  which  she  had  received, 
aided  by  the  pressure  at  home,  had  effectual 
ly  worked  religious  unrest.  She  was  certain 
now  that  she  must  do  some  new  thing  to 
obtain  peace  with  God.  Long  monotonous 
days  ripened  within  her  this  altered  mind. 

On  one  of  the  warm  days  that  fell  at  the 
end  of  the  apple  harvest,  when  such  vagrant 
labourers  as  had  collected  to  help  the  farmers 
were  loitering  at  liberty,  Smith  held  his  first 
and  last  public  meeting  in  the  place  where 
his  boyhood  had  been  passed.  It  was  near 
the  cross-roads  on  the  old  highroad  to  Pal 
es 


64  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

myra,  where  a  small  wooden  bridge  carries 
over  a  creek  that  runs  through  the  meadow 
to  the  Canandaigua.  Here  in  the  leisure  time 
of  the  afternoon  Smith  lifted  up  his  voice  and 
preached  to  an  ever-increasing  crowd,  com 
posed  first  of  men,  and  added  to  by  whole 
families  from  most  of  those  houses  within 
touch  of  the  village. 

The  elder  Croom,  his  wife,  and  Susannah 
were  returning  from  the  weekly  shopping  at 
Palmyra's  store;  they  came  upon  the  crowd, 
and  stopped  perforce.  Wrath  was  upon  the 
faces  of  the  elder  couple,  and  nothing  less 
than  terror  upon  Susannah's  white  cheeks. 

Susannah  would  have  run  far  to  have  been 
saved  the  awful  interrogation  of  opportunity. 
Perhaps  all  that  she  knew  just  then,  in  her 
childlike  bewilderment,  was  that  the  slanders 
of  the  persecution  were  wrong,  and  her  un 
trained  mind  jumped  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  God  of  truth  must  therefore  be  with 
Smith.  Beyond  this  there  was  unnamed  won 
der  at  the  unexplained  influence  that  Smith 
held  over  her,  and  more  curious  thoughts, 
stretching  out  like  the  delicate  tendrils  of  an 
unsupported  vine,  concerning  Halsey,  his 
prayers  and  warnings,  and  the  strength  of 
selfless  devotion  that  she  had  read  in  his  in 
nocent  eyes. 

Old  Croom,  deacon  and  magistrate,  was 
not  one  to  tarry  at  such  a  gathering  longer 
than  need  be.  When  he  perceived  that  some 
of  the  planks  of  the  bridge  had  been  taken 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  65 

to  support  the  dam  he  alighted  and  broke 
down  a  log  fence  in  order  to  drive  his  horses 
through  meadow  and  stream  to  join  the  road 
nearer  home.  His  women  must  needs  walk 
over  the  scanty  beams.  Mrs.  Croom,  stately 
and  well  attired,  could  make  her  way  through 
the  crowd;  no  one  there  was  so  rapt  but  that 
he  let  her  pass  when,  with  eyes  flashing  in 
righteous  indignation,  she  tapped  him  on  the 
shoulder  and  bid  him  stand  aside.  Susannah 
followed  in  her  aunt's  wake,  the  crowd  of 
neighbours  and  strange  labourers  closing  be 
hind  them  again  as  they  worked  their  way, 
of  necessity  slowly,  nearer  and  nearer  the 
preacher  and  the  little  band  of  adherents  that 
stood  steadfast  around  him. 

Susannah  heard  the  words  of  the  sermon 
in  which  open  confession  of  his  own  past  sin, 
bold  persuasions  to  Christianity  and  right 
eousness,  were  strangely  mingled  with  the 
claim  of  the  new  prophet.  She  could  not  re 
member  one  moment  what  he  had  said  the 
last.  Low  hisses  and  muttered  threats  of 
the  angry  men  about  her  fell  on  her  ears  in 
the  same  way,  making  their  own  impression, 
but  not  on  reason  or  memory.  A  sickening 
dread  of  a  call  that  would  come  before  she 
got  away  was  all  that  she  fully  realised.  It 
came  when,  in  her  white  gala  dress,  she  stood 
still  at  last  near  to,  and  under  the  eye  of,  the 
preacher. 

The  sermon  was  finished.  There  was  a 
silence  at  its  end  so  unexpected  that  none  in 


66  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

the  crowd  broke  it.  It  seemed  for  those  mo 
ments  to  reach  not  only  into  the  hearts  of 
the  crowd,  but  into  the  wide,  empty  vault  of 
sunny  blue  above  them,  and  over  the  open 
fields  and  golden  woods.  Then,  before  the 
wrath  of  the  crowd  had  gathered  strength  to 
break  into  violence,  Smith  went  down  into  the 
water  and  called  loudly  to  all  such  as  felt  the 
need  of  saving  their  souls  to  enter  upon  the 
heavenly  pilgrimage  by  the  gate  of  his  bap 
tism.  His  adherents  had  cast  themselves  upon 
their  knees  in  prayer.  Susannah  saw  the 
strong,  dark  face  of  Oliver  Cowdery  looking 
up  to  the  sky  as  though  he  saw  the  heavens 
opened,  and  she  saw  Angel  Halsey  look  at 
herself,  and  then,  clasping  his  hands  over  his 
fair  young  face,  bow  himself  in  supplication. 

A  man,  ragged  in  dress,  and  bearing  the 
look  of  ill  deeds  in  his  face,  made  his  way  out 
of  the  crowd  into  the  water.  He  was  a  stran 
ger  to  the  place,  and  the  spectators  looked 
on  in  silent  surprise.  Before  Smith  had  dipped 
him  in  the  stream  and  blessed  him  another 
man  came  forward,  pale  and  thin,  with  a  hectic 
flush  upon  his  cheeks.  He  was  a  well-known 
resident  of  Manchester;  all  knew  that  his  days 
on  earth  must  be  few.  A  low  howl  began  to 
rise,  loudest  on  the  outskirts  of  the  crowd, 
but  the  fact  that  the  man  was  dying  kept 
many  silent,  feeling  that  the  doomed  may 
surely  have  their  own  will. 

Before  Joseph  Smith  had  spoken  his  bene 
diction  over  this  trembling,  gasping  creature, 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  67 

when  Halsey  had  left  his  kneeling  to  spring 
forward  and  lead  him  to  the  shore,  Susannah 
began  to  move  forward  to  the  water.  No 
one  who  saw  her  move  at  first  dreamed  of 
what  she  sought.  Her  aunt  had  pushed  on 
some  distance  farther  and  stood  waiting,  al 
most  too  astonished  at  this  last  baptism  to 
notice  that  she  was  separated  from  her  charge. 
Now,  when  she  saw  Susannah  pushing  for 
ward,  she  only  wondered  with  others  what 
she  would  be  at,  and  spoke  to  her  inef 
fectually,  without  the  shriek  and  struggle 
which  she  made  when  the  girl  was  beyond  her 
reach. 

So  Susannah,  moving  like  one  in  an  agon 
ised  dream,  came  to  the"  edge  of  the  pool. 
Among  the  praying  band  there  was  no  doubt 
as  to  her  intention,  no  astonishment;  the 
kneeling  men  gave  instant  thanks  to  God  for 
her  decision,  and  Halsey,  having  helped  the 
feeble  man  to  land,  led  Susannah  down  into 
the  water,  his  face  illuminated  by  the  victory 
of  faith. 

Susannah  heard  now  her  aunt's  wild 
shrieks;  she  heard  too  the  surging  of  the 
crowd,  but  the  meaning  of  neither  sound 
came  to  her.  She  waded  on  to  where  Smith 
stood,  with  only  the  dazed  sense  of  a  goal 
to  be  reached.  She  was  perfectly  passive  in 
his  hands  as  he  dipped  her  beneath  the  sur 
face  and  raised  her  up,  but  she  listened  to  the 
blessing  he  pronounced  with  a  sudden  leap  of 
the  heart,  feeling  that  now  at  last  the  misery 


68  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

of  fear  was  past  and  the  demand  of  God  sat 
isfied — it  must  be  so  because  it  had  cost  so 
much. 

When  she  came  to  herself  she  saw  that 
the  crowd,  like  a  wild  beast,  had  sprung  down 
ward  upon  the  disciples.  Even  in  her  first 
terrified  glance  she  was  impressed  by  the 
strange  and  awful  difference  between  the  dis 
torted  and  hideous  faces  of  the  mob  and  the 
exalted  calm  of  the  few  men  who  had  at  this 
time  fixed  their  minds  on  the  unseen  rather 
than  the  seen.  She  looked  up  to  Smith  in 
the  swift  appeal  of  terror,  and  felt  once  for 
all  the  huge  courage  by  which  his  life  was 
marked.  His  hand,  helping  her  to  the  shore, 
never  trembled.  He  calmly  directed  her 
steps  into  the  quiet  meadow  before  he  gave 
himself  to  the  battle. 

When  her  person  was  no  longer  there  to 
be  protected,  the  Mormons  gave  way  at  once 
before  the  gathering  strength  of  the  mob. 
She  saw  them  beaten  down  mercilessly;  she 
saw  Smith  himself  beaten  and  thrown  pros 
trate  in  the  water.  The  still,  warm  air  that 
a  few  minutes  before  had  seemed  instinct  with 
prayer  was  now  vibrating  to  the  howls  and 
taunts  and  curses  of  the  mob.  Susannah  had 
no  doubt  that  these,  who  were  now  her 
friends,  were  being  killed;  their  sufferings  jus 
tified  her  to  herself  and  produced  a  fierce  ex 
altation  in  the  step  which  she  had  taken.  In 
her  experience  of  life  she  thought  that  the 
mob  would  turn  upon  her  next,  and  stood 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  69 

waiting,  every  muscle  tense,  her  hands 
clenched,  feeling  excitedly  that  she  would 
rather  die  than  live  to  see  such  intolerable 
wrong. 

This  tension  of  nerve  relaxed  somewhat 
when  her  uncle  lifted  her  forcibly  into  the 
waggon.  With  eyes  wide  open  with  horror 
and  lips  trembling,  she  asked,  "  Did  they  kill 
them,  uncle?  " 

"  No,  child,  they  only  gave  them  a  good 
trouncing  in  their  own  pond."  He  choked 
here,  out  of  pity  for  her,  keeping  back  the 
torrent  of  his  anger. 

Even  at  this  early  date  it  was  bruited  that 
Joseph  Smith  exercised  some  unseemly  force 
of  will  by  which  he  distorted  the  reason  of  his 
converts.  This  report  explained  the  fact  that 
for  the  first  day  after  the  shock  of  Susannah's 
baptism  her  aunt  and  uncle  did  not  lay  the 
blame  of  it  at  her  door,  did  not  argue  or  per 
suade,  only  watched  her  as  one  recovering 
from  a  strange  disease.  But  in  the  afternoon 
of  that  first  day  the  pent-up  fever  of  the  aunt's 
wrath  against  those  whom  she  thought  to 
blame  broke  forth,  and  almost  in  delirium. 

The  last  hot  weather  of  the  autumn  still 
held;  in  the  same  still  hour  of  the  afternoon, 
the  hour  in  which  Susannah's  baptism  had 
taken  place  the  day  before,  Angel  Halsey,  pal 
lid  with  his  yesterday's  beating  and  ill-usage, 
but  steadfast  and  even  joyful  of  face,  walked 
up  to  the  front  door  of  the  magistrate's 
house. 


70  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

This  door  opened  upon  an  unfrequented 
entrance-hall.  Susannah  heard  the  knock, 
heard  her  aunt  move  with  the  dignity  befit 
ting  an  expected  visitor.  Then  she  heard 
Ephraim's  step  on  the  stair  for  the  first  time 
that  day,  and  reflected  dully  that  he  must 
have  seen  the  advent  of  some  important  per 
son  from  his  window  to  be  thus  answering  the 
call  of  the  door. 

After  that  she  heard  words  that  had  the 
sound  of  suppressed  screams  in  them.  She 
realised  that  the  house  mistress  was  ordering 
some  enemy  from  her  door.  These  com 
mands  were  not  obeyed,  and  Susannah,  hear 
ing  that  the  intruder  remained,  began  in  fear 
to  suspect  the  meaning  of  the  intrusion.  As 
she  rose  the  report  of  a  fire-arm  startled  her 
from  all  the  remnants  of  her  selfish  dulness, 
causing  her  feet  to  fly. 

From  within  the  sitting-room  she  saw  the 
entrance-hall.  Its  door  was  open  to  the  wide 
sweep  of  land  that  lay  in  floods  of  sunshine. 
In  the  light,  half  turning  now  to  go  as  he  had 
come,  stood  Angel  Halsey.  Her  eager  eyes 
drank  in  the  sight  of  him,  because  last  night 
she  had  thought  to  see  him  die.  She  saw  his 
quietness  even  while,  it  seemed  to  her,  the 
gun  still  echoed,  and  it  was  Ephraim  who  held 
the  gun!  Beside  Ephraim  her  aunt  stood, 
like  one  in  a  frenzy,  her  very  garments  twitch 
ing  and  her  gray  hair  fallen  loose.  None  of 
them  looked  to  see  the  girl  within  the  shaded 
room. 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  ji 

"  Friends,"  said  Halsey,  "  I  came  to  say 
'  Peace  be  with  this  house/  and  to  speak  with 
her  to  whom  God  has  given  the  spirit  of 
obedience  to  his  truth,  but  it  is  written  that 
when  any  house  refuses  to  receive  us  we  must 
depart."" 

His  voice  was  for  some  cause  growing 
fainter,  but  Susannah  was  certain  that  the 
cause  was  not  fear. 

He  took  a  letter  from  his  breast.  "  I 
wrote  it,"  he  said,  "  in  case  I  might  not  enter 
to  speak  with  her." 

He  gave  the  letter  to  Ephraim,  who  took 
it  reluctantly,  as  one  impelled  by  some  strong 
sense  of  right. 

Halsey  went  out.  He  tottered  upon  the 
path,  but  he  opened  the  gate  and  walked  on. 
Ephraim,  still  holding  the  gun  and  the  letter, 
turned  and  saw  Susannah. 

Ephraim's  face  was  gaunt  and  haggard  as 
she  had  never  seen  it  before;  his  eyes  were 
large,  and  she  thought  she  read  unutterable 
distress  in  them,  but  could  not  understand. 
She  held  out  her  hand  for  the  letter,  but  as 
he  gave  it  both  she  and  he  perceived  for  the 
first  time  that  it  was  stained  with  blood;  they 
felt  mutually  the  thrill  that  the  sight  gave. 

He  put  his  hand  out  suddenly  and  pushed 
her  within  the  room.  "  Go,"  he  entreated, 
"  for  God's  sake,  Susy,  go  to  your  own  room; 
take  his  letter  with  you  if  you  will,  but  go." 

Susannah  went  amazed,  but  she  began  to 
think  that  Ephraim's  distress  had  not  been 


72  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

a  gracious  sorrow,  but  remorse  for  his  own 
crime.  He  must  have  shot  Halsey  as  he 
would  have  shot  at  some  evil  beast.  When 
she  had  time  to  remember  that  Halsey  had 
tottered  when  he  walked,  she  fled  back,  strain 
ing  the  blood-stained  letter  to  her  breast,  and 
tore  open  the  closed  door.  Her  aunt  was 
sitting  in  a  low  chair  sobbing.  Ephraim, 
bareheaded  in  the  sunshine,  was  standing  on 
the  path  shading  his  eyes  to  scan  the  road. 
Susannah  ran  out,  not  to  him  (her  shame  and 
grief  for  him  were  too  deep  for  any  word), 
but  with  intent  to  run  after  the  wounded  man 
and  nurse  his  wound. 

"  It  can  be  but  a  slight  flesh  wound,"  said 
Ephraim  mechanically. 

She  looked  first  where  he  was  gazing,  and 
saw  that  some  distance  down  the  road  Halsey 
was  stepping  into  a  chaise.  Another  man 
took  the  seat  beside  him  and  they  drove 
away. 

Then  she  looked  at  Ephraim.  He  did  not 
appear  as  though  he  felt  his  guilt;  he  had  the 
mien  rather  of  one  who  was  striving  bravely 
to  endure  hardship.  Then  indeed  she  felt 
that  the  gulf  of  thought  must  yawn  wide  be 
tween  them;  she  could  even  yet  have  pitied 
Ephraim's  contrition,  but  he  was  not  contrite. 
In  indignation  she  retired,  sitting  in  the  pri 
vacy  of  her  little  bedroom. 

It  was  a  strange  letter,  not  alone  because 
the  ink  was  blurred  by  blood  that,  still  warm, 
soaked  it  through  in  parts,  but  because,  com- 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  73 

ing  from  a  young  man  to  a  maid,  in  the  first 
flush  of  her  strength  and  beauty,  it  offered 
love  and  marriage,  giving  only  as  his  reason, 
urging  only  as  her  motive,  the  service  of  God. 

"  If,"  the  letter  read,  "  thou  canst  see  thy 
way,  dear  friend,  to  hold  fast  that  thou  hast 
in  the  house  of  thy  friends,  if  thou  canst  see 
thy  way,  by  steadfast  confession  and  by  the 
grace  of  thy  demeanour,  to  strive  among  them 
for  their  conversion,  it  would  be  well  while 
thou  art  still  so  young  to  remain  with  them 
for  a  time — at  least  so  I  think.  But  our 
prophet  thinks,  and  I  also  greatly  desire  to 
think,  that  the  strain  upon  thy  faith  would 
be  too  great,  that  thou  mightst  fail;  and  re 
membering  that  it  has  been  revealed  to  him 
that  our  union  has  been  sealed  in  heaven,  he 
thinks  that  thou  wouldst  do  well  to  commit 
thy  tender  life  now  to  my  keeping." 

The  phrase  "  and  I  greatly  desire  to 
think  "  was  almost  as  strong  as  any  in  a  long 
letter  to  tell  which  way  his  delight  would  lie, 
and  Susannah's  was  not  a  mind  upon  which 
this  indication  of  reserve  force  was  thrown 
away.  She  trusted,  vaguely  in  thought  but 
implicitly  in  heart,  to  that  which  lay  behind 
— something  which  did  not  alarm  her,  which 
in  her  inner  vision  wore  no  warm  nor  obtru 
sive  colouring,  but  which  she  knew  to  be  in 
tense  and  of  enduring  quality.  And  she  saw 
herself  alone,  beaten  by  adverse  winds  and 
without  other  shelter. 

Halsey  touched  upon  the  fact  that  Smith 


74  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

and  his  disciples  (he  did  not.  say  himself)  had 
suffered  greatly  from  yesterday's  ill-usage, 
and  said  that,  having  given  their  message  to 
the  people,  they  were  that  day  leaving  for  a 
place  called  Fayette,  in  Seneca  county,  where 
it  had  previously  been  determined  that  the 
new  church  should  be  organised.  He  himself 
would  wait  either  until  Susannah  saw  her  way 
to  come  with  him,  or  until  he  knew  that  she 
was  at  peace,  having  chosen  of  her  own  ac 
cord  to  remain.  He  would  bring  a  chaise,  in 
which  she  could  travel  if  she  would,  near  her 
uncle's  house  at  dawn  upon  the  next  morn 
ing.  He  would  take  her,  he  said,  to  the  house 
where  the  Smiths  were  in  Fayette,  but  it  was 
implied  through  all  the  letter  that  the  mystic 
marriage  which  Smith  had  solemnised  was 
considered  by  Halsey  as  valid,  and  that  if  she 
joined  her  material  fortunes  now  to  those  of 
the  persecuted  sect,  it  would  be  as  his  wife. 

In  speaking  of  the  future  he  did  not  gloss 
over  the  persecution;  he  did  not  even  prom 
ise,  as  Smith  had  done,  a  sure  and  material 
reward.  The  mind  of  the  young  Quaker  con 
vert  was  fixed  upon  the  things  that  are  un 
seen.  This  was  not  hidden  from  the  girl.  The 
thought  of  being  with  him  in  his  faith  and 
resignation  gave  her  peace.  Poverty  and  per 
secution  seemed  as  nothing  compared  with 
the  torture  of  being  surrounded  by  people 
whose  thought  and  actions  aroused  in  her 
young  heart  whirlwinds  of  passionate  oppo 
sition.  Even  Ephraim,  instead  of  rising  in 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  75 

his  strength  to  condemn  the  outrage  of  yes 
terday,  had  attempted  to-day  to  wound  or 
kill.  Her  amazement  and  dismay  at  this 
drove  her  out  as  it  were  with  a  scourge. 

Halsey  had  told  her  to  pray,  and  she  had 
tried  to  pray.  Halsey  had  told  her  to  search 
the  Scriptures  for  guidance,  and  she  read. 
Text  after  text  came  home  to  her  heart,  bid 
ding  her  leave  her  kindred  to  share  the  for 
tunes  of  the  persecuted  children  of  faith. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

AT  break  of  clay  Halsey  was  waiting  upon 
the  road  with  a  fairly  good  horse  and  a  com 
fortable  chaise.  Susannah  never  forgot  the 
light  that  came  to  his  eyes  when  he  saw  her 
approach;  it  was  like  dawn  in  paradise. 

Angel  Halsey  was  not  without  shrewd 
worldly  wisdom.  He  turned  into  a  cross  cor 
duroy  road  that  led  through  the  woods,  pass 
ing  only  some  small  clearings  to  the  west  of 
Palmyra,  and  thus  by  a  detour  avoiding  that 
village,  he  returned  again  to  the  highroad  be 
tween  Canandaigua  and  Geneva.  The  pur 
suers,  upon  failing  to  hear  that  the  chaise  had 
passed  through  Palmyra,  might  turn  back, 
or  if  they  had  gone  on  they  might  have  out 
stripped  them  on  the  road,  and  be  in  front 
rather  than  behind.  This  danger  peopled  the 
long  lonely  road  with  possible  enemies  both 
before  and  behind.  The  strain  upon  the  im 
agination  was  very  great.  The  road  was 
heavy  and  rough. 

Susannah  perceived  that  Halsey's  appre 
hension  of  being  overtaken  was  almost  solely 
on  her  account.  He  was  so  upborne  by  his 
religious  enthusiasm  as  to  be  oblivious  to  the 
76 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  77 

pain  which  his  wound  of  yesterday  gave  him, 
and  was  perfectly  willing  to  encounter  the 
violence  of  her  kindred  again  if  need  be,  yet, 
seeing  her  terror  with  a  quickness  of  sympa 
thy  which  roused  her  gratitude,  he  took  every 
possible  precaution  that  could  allay  her  fears. 
All  through  the  weary,  weary  day  she  hard 
ly  spoke  to  him,  never  addressed  him  by 
name. 

They  reached  the  new  town  of  Geneva  at 
sundown.  When  they  had  set  forth  again,  it 
was  a  great  comfort  to  Susannah  that  gray- 
ness  had  succeeded  to  sunshine.  She  was 
weary  of  the  yellow  light,  of  the  dull  glare 
from  the  stubble  fields,  of  the  obtrusive  col 
ours  of  the  autumn  foliage,  of  the  blueness  of 
the  sky,  of  everything,  indeed,  that  she  had 
seen  and  heard  during  the  wretched  hours  of 
the  day.  They  now  travelled  through  a  very 
flat  tract;  little  of  the  land  was  cleared;  the 
road  was  straight.  It  is  hard  to  explain  the 
mental  weariness  produced  by  a  straight  level 
road.  The  hope  and  interest  inspired  by  un 
dulations  or  curves  are  lost.  The  distance  ever 
gives  a  farther  reach  of  the  weary  way  to  the 
view,  as  if  by  a  parable  it  would  impress  on 
the  traveller  the  knowledge  that  the  future 
was  to  be  barren  of  delight. 

About  two  miles  from  Geneva,  before  the 
daylight  was  quite  gone,  they  were  both 
startled  by  hearing  a  rushing,  crashing  sound 
coming  toward  them  in  the  woods.  Were 
their  pursuers  upon  them  after  all?  Had  they 


78  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

chosen  this,  the  most  lonely  part  of  their 
road,  to  fall  upon  them? 

They  did  not  speak  their  thoughts  to  one 
another.  Angel  struck  the  horse,  and  it  gal 
loped  forward  perhaps  about  a  hundred  yards, 
and  then,  of  its  own  accord,  stopped  sud 
denly. 

Upon  the  side  of  the  road,  pushing  itself 
backward  among  the  bushes,  the  better  to 
gain  space  for  its  run,  was  a  bull.  Its  eyes 
were  bloodshot,  its  head  lowered  for  a  long 
moment  to  measure  its  distance  ere  it  made 
the  attack.  The  horse  seemed  palsied  with 
terror.  It  moved  backward  with  tottering 
steps,  trembling  all  over,  heedless  of  whip 
or  rein. 

The  backward  movement  prolonged  the 
hesitation  of  the  bull,  which  turned  itself  to 
take  another  aim.  The  horse  uttered  an  al 
most  human  cry.  In  the  moment  of  hearing 
that  cry  Susannah  felt  that  she  had  already 
gone  through  some  shocking  form  of  death. 
Halsey  brought  down  his  whip,  striking  the 
horse  with  all  his  might;  it  leaped  forward, 
lifting  the  chaise  almost  into  the  air;  then  it 
was  rushing  madly  on,  dragging  the  wheels 
behind  it  with  terrible  velocity. 

They  had  caught  sight  of  the  rush  of  the 
bull.  They  felt  the  animal's  heavy  side  just 
graze  the  back  of  the  chaise,  and  they  heard 
behind  them  a  bellow  of  rage  that  seemed  to 
fill  all  the  solitary  place  with  diabolical  echoes. 

The  body  of  the  chaise  was  bounding  upon 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 


79 


its  leather  bands,  jolting  cruelly  against  the 
axle.  Susannah  cried  out  that  she  should  be 
thrown  from  her  seat.  The  swift-falling  dark 
ness  encompassed  their  path.  Their  hope  lay 
in  the  straightness  of  the  road,  and  their  .chief 
fear  was  that  by  some  greater  roughness  of 
the  way  the  chaise,  which  was  now  swaying 
fearfully,  might  be  overturned. 

Gradually  the  sound  of  the  bull's  gallop 
ing  became  less  distinct.  The  chaise  was  still 
upright.  The  horse,  beginning  to  falter  in 
his  pace,  took  more  kindly  to  the  accustomed 
control  of  the  rein.  It  was  then  Susannah 
found  that  she  had  been  clinging  to  Halsey 
for  support,  and  that  he,  by  bracing  himself 
with  one  arm  to  the  side  of  the  chaise  and 
holding  her  with  the  other,  had  prevented  her 
from  being  thrown  out. 

In  gathering  her  shawl  about  her  she 
wrapped  herself  again  in  a  certain  amount  of 
her  former  reserve,  but  the  excitement  that 
she  had  been  through  made  her  former  silence 
impossible. 

Halsey  at  first  received  her  remarks  in  si 
lence,  then  as  he  essayed  to  answer,  his  voice 
grew  low  and  faint,  and  a  sudden  suspicion 
of  the  cause  pierced  through  her  mind. 

In  another  moment  he  sank,  leaning 
against  her.  Putting  her  hand  beneath  his 
coat,  she  found  to  her  dismay  that  the  strain 
of  holding  her  had  opened  his  wound;  his 
clothes  were  again  wet  with  blood. 

The  reins  slipped  from  his  hands.    Susan- 


8o  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

nah  tied  them  loose  to  the  front  of  the  chaise 
and,  putting  her  arms  round  the  fainting  man, 
drew  the  bandages  tightly  but  with  unskilful 
hands;  she  lessened  the  bleeding  and  caused 
him  .such  acute  pain  that  he  lifted  his  head 
and  spoke. 

"  What  shall  I  do?  "  she  asked  piteously. 
The  blood,  diverted  from  the  brain,  had  left  it 
without  healthy  circulation,  but  she  did  not 
know  yet  that  this  was  affecting  his  mind. 

"  Friend,"    he   whispered,    "  that    was   in 
truth  no  bull;  it  was  the  devil  himself." 
'The  devil?"  she  asked  faintly. 

"  He  almost  succeeded  in  his  cruel  at 
tempt  to  cause  us  to  be  discouraged  from  the 
way." 

"  It   seems  to  me   he  only   succeeded   in 
'    causing  us  to  take  the  way  with  greater  vehe 
mence,"  she  replied  in  some  scorn. 

In  the  next  minute  she  heard  him  whis 
per  eagerly,  "  Look  up;  look  between  the 
branches;  quick!  Do  you  not  see  the  face 
looking  at  us?  " 

The  branches  of  the  overhanging  tree 
were  black  with  night.  She  looked  up  in  the 
direction  that  his  feeble  hand  indicated,  and 
with  indescribable  terror  scanned  the  blank 
spaces  in  which  no  human  face  could  possi 
bly  be. 

"  Look!  "  he  whispered  again  impatiently. 
"  Don't  you  see  it?  It  is  the  face  of  a  man. 
A  white  face!  It  is  the  face  of  thy  cousin 
as  I  saw  it  yesterday  when  I  was  counted 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  8 1 

worthy  to  suffer.  Look!  look!  does  thou 
not  see  him?  " 

His  words  had  the  effect  of  producing  in 
her  that  maddening  fear  of  the  dark  which 
ghostly  tales  induce,  and  now  he  fainted 
again.  She  was  afraid  to  cry  for  help,  afraid 
even  of  the  rustle  of  her  own  garments.  She 
did  not  know  how  far  she  was  from  any  house. 
And  it  seemed  to  her  that  this  lover,  who  was 
almost  a  stranger,  was  dying  in  her  arms. 
The  misery  of  this  hour  governed  her  action 
in  the  next. 

Halsey  in  the  bottom  of  the  chaise  lay 
with  his  head  against  her  knee,  and  soon, 
holding  the  bandages  of  his  Avound  close  upon 
it  with  one  hand,  she  took  the  reins  with  the 
other  and  urged  the  horse  forward.  She  had 
had  no  thought  all  that  day  but  to  go,  as  Hal 
sey  had  said,  to  Emma  Smith's  protection. 
She  hoped  now  that  there  was  but  one  road; 
that  when  she  came  to  the  first  settlement 
she  would  be  with  the  Smiths.  This  was  not 
the  case.  She  travelled  an  hour,  obliged  to 
pass  more  than  one  cross-road  because  she 
dared  not  turn  down  it.  At  length  she  found 
herself  in  front  of  a  large  house  with  lighted 
windows,  which  was  evidently  an  inn. 

The  door  opened,  letting  out  a  stream  of 
candlelight.  A  man  stood  in  the  doorway. 
"  What  place  is  this?  "  cried  Susannah's  voice 
from  the  darkness. 

"  It's  John  Biery's  hotel." 

"  Will  you  have  the  kindness  to  tell  me  if 


82  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

you  know  of  any  one  called  Mr.  Joseph 
Smith?  " 

There  was  some  talking  within.  "  No,  we 
never  heard  of  Mr.  Joseph  Smith." 

"  Or  Mr.  Oliver  Cowdery?  "  Again  there 
was  talking. 

"  No,  it  don't  seem  that  we've  any  of  us 
heard  o'  those  names  before.  Be  you  alone?  " 
The  deep  bass  voice  of  John  Biery  was  be 
coming  more  insistent  in  its  rising  inflection. 

For  some  half-minute  Susannah  did  not 
answer,  and  then  fear  of  being  compelled  to 
retake  the  road  made  irresolution  impossible. 

"  Indeed,  sir,  I  am  not  alone.  I  have  in 
the  chaise  with  me  a  sick  man,  and  I  fear  that 
he  may  be  dying.  I  thought  to  find  friends, 
but  it  seems  in  the  darkness  I  have  missed 
my  way.  I  must  beg  of  you  to  assist  me  to 
lift  him  into  the  house  and  give  us  shelter  for 
the  night." 

The  men  had  remained  perfectly  still, 
drinking  in  her  every  syllable  with  that  fierce 
thirst  for  news  which  is  a  first  passion  of 
dwellers  in  such  desolate  places;  then,  aroused 
by  what  they  heard,  they  came  forward  across 
a  rough  bit  of  ground  to  the  road.  The  burly 
form  of  John  Biery  came  first,  and  he  called 
for  a  lantern,  which  was  instantly  produced 
by  one  of  those  who  followed.  They  held  it 
up  over  Angel's  crouching  form  and  death 
like  face.  Then  they  held  it  higher  and  stared 
at  Susannah.  Her  shawl  had  fallen  from  off 
her  shoulders.  The  handkerchief  upon  her 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  83 

neck  was  loose,  and  underneath  the  pink  bor 
der  of  her  bonnet  the  ringlets  had  begun  to 
stray.  Her  resolute  face,  so  young  and  beau 
tiful,  startled  them  almost  as  an  apparition 
might  have  done. 

"  I'm  dead  beat/'  said  the  hotel-keeper 
under  his  breath,  "  if  I  ever  seed  anything 
like  that!  "  But  with  the  ready  suspicion  of 
a  prudent  householder  he  questioned  her. 
Where  had  the  man  come  by  the  wound? 
For  they  saw  the  blood-stained  bandages  she 
clasped. 

Yesterday,  she  explained,  he  had  received 
a  slight  bullet-wound  by  accident,  and  to-day, 
in  their  long  travel,  the  loss  of  blood  had  dis 
abled  him. 

"  Does  he  belong  to  you,  young  lady?  " 

Susannah  busied  herself  with  the  bandages 
for  a  moment,  but  terror  had  carried  her  far. 
She  replied  with  gentle  decision,  "  He  is  my 
husband." 


CHAPTER   IX. 

"  IT  is  our  fault." 

That  evening  Ephraim  Croom  stood  in 
his  father's  sitting-room,  near  the  door  of  the 
dark  stair  that  led  up  to  his  own  rooms.  His 
shoulders  were  drooping.  His  face  was  gray 
and  haggard.  Even  his  hair  and  beard,  damp, 
unkempt,  seemed  to  express  remorse  in  their 
outline.  He  stood  doggedly  facing  his  father 
and  mother,  repeating  the  thing  that  he  saw 
to  be  true,  but  with  no  further  words  to  inter 
pret  his  insight. 

To  his  parents  his  opinions,  his  attitude, 
appeared  as  an  outrage  upon  reason.  His  fa 
ther  looked  at  him  with  greater  severity  than 
he  had  ever  before  exercised  upon  his  only 
child.  "  I  reckon,  Ephraim,  that  you  speak 
without  using  the  sense  that  the  Almighty  has 
been  mercifully  pleased  to  give  you.  You 
know,  Ephraim,  the  girl  has  been  as  a  daugh 
ter  in  this  house.  When  has  it  been  said  to 
her  that  her  father,  dying  in  his  worldly  fol 
lies,  left  her  destitute,  the  pittance  she  gets 
needing  to  go  for  his  debts?  She's  had  about 
as  good  a  home  as  any  girl  should  want,  and 
84 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  85 

your   mother   and   the   ministers   have   dealt 
faithfully  with  her  concerning  her  soul." 

Ephraim  made  a  movement  of  the  head 
as  if  for  a  moment  he  could  have  stood  up 
right,  feeling  in  one  respect  innocent;  then 
again  there  was  nothing  but  the  droop  of 
shame  visible. 

His  mother  looked  at  him  with  eyes  that 
were  red  with  weeping.  She  had  been  wip 
ing  them  with  fierce  furtive  rubs  of  her  hand 
kerchief;  now  she  was  rubbing  the  handker 
chief,  a  hard  ball,  in  the  palm  of  one  hand. 
Perhaps  grief  at  Susannah's  loss  had  been 
dominant  until  Ephraim's  accusation  had 
fanned  her  anger.  "  She'd  better  have  gone 
with  him  openly  from  the  baptising.  I  never 
thought  then  that  it  was  love-making  she  was 
after."  Deep  scorn  was  here  expressed.  "  Re 
ligion!  'Twasn't  much  religion  she  had  in  her 
mind.  And  we  treated  her  real  kindly,  Ephra 
im,  thinking  'twas  the  hold  of  delusion  they 
had  upon  her.  'Twould  be  very  small  use  to 
bring  her  back  even  if  you  or  your  father 
could  have  found  out  which  way  they'd  gone. 
'Tisn't  likely  she'd  stay  long  if  you  fetched 
her,  seeing  she's  that  sort  of  a  girl,  with  a 
hankering  for  the  man.  There  isn't  a  place 
in  this  house  to  lock  her  into  unless  it  is  the 
cellar." 

It  was  perhaps  the  thought  of  the  un 
speakable  degradation  it  would  be  to  the 
worthy  house  to  hold  a  girl  as  prisoner  in  the 
cellar,  perhaps  the  dismal  knowledge  that  that 


86  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

which  had  already  befallen  them  and  her  was 
not  much  better  than  this,  that  caused  his 
mother  here  to  lose  her  self-control  entirely 
and  weep  bitterly.  Ephraim  shrank  under  her 
words  as  if  they  had  been  the  strokes  of  a 
whip  striking  him.  When  she  had  ended  he 
went  on  heavily  up  the  dark  stair. 

Both  the  men  were  in  riding-dress.  The 
elder  man,  when  he  had  comforted  his  wife 
as  best  he  might,  laid  aside  his  boots  and  whip 
determinedly,  believing  that  the  use  for  them, 
as  far  as  concerned  the  search  for  his  niece, 
was  at  an  end.  Upstairs,  sitting  between  the 
three  windows  that  looked  east  and  north  and 
south,  Ephraim  sat  as  long  as  exhaustion 
made  rest  necessary.  He  was  still  equipped 
for  the  road,  thinking  only  which  way  it  be 
hoved  him  to  travel,  and  when. 


CHAPTER   X. 

THE  next  day,  toward  afternoon,  Joseph 
Smith  stood  by  the  bedside  of  Angel  Halsey. 
Susannah,  wan  and  weary  with  a  long  night's 
nursing,  was  sitting  beside  the  pillow.  Smith 
looked  upon  them  both  benevolently.  It  was 
some  minutes  before  he  spoke.  Susannah 
was  too  much  in  awe  of  him  to  say  much,  but 
his  presence  was  welcome.  Since  Halsey's 
rational  self  had  been  lost  in  his  delirium,  lone 
liness  like  darkness  that  could  be  felt  had 
pressed  upon  her. 

"  Our  brother  will  be  healed,"  said  Smith 
at  length.  "  It  is  given  to  me  to  know  that 
he  will  be  healed."  He  then  spread  his  hands 
over  the  sick  man  and  made  a  short  prayer. 
There  was  much  fervour  in  his  words  and  his 
voice  was  loud. 

"  Give  him  to  drink,"  said  Smith. 

"  Biery's  wife  told  me  as  long  as  he  was 
in  fever  not  to  give  him  water." 

Smith  looked  down  upon  her  kindly,  but 
he  spoke  in  a  tone  of  absolute  authority.  "  My 
sister,  I  say  unto  thee  give  him  water.  It  is 
given  to  me  to  know  that  he  must  have  water 
and  that  he  will  do  well." 

7  87 


88  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

"  It  is  never  done  in  such  cases,"  said 
Susannah.  "  I  remember  when  my  father — " 
She  had  not  the  faith  that  Smith  required  of 
her. 

Without  a  frown,  with  perfect  gentleness, 
Smith  fetched  the  water  and,  lifting  the  sick 
man's  head,  allowed  him  to  drink  eagerly. 
Halsey  was  obviously  comforted. 

Smith  had  something  else  to  say.  If  he 
had  not  been  who  he  was  Susannah  might 
have  perceived  that  he  was  somewhat  per 
plexed,  even  embarrassed.  Just  as  a  child 
does  not  easily  attribute  to  the  adult  such 
hindering  emotions,  so  she  supposed  him  to 
be  upon  a  plane  above  them. 

He  lingered  by  the  bedside,  apparently 
watching  the  sufferer.  At  length  he  said, 
"  You  set  out  with  this  young  man — yester 
day  morning?  " 

"  Yes,  very  early." 

There  was  another  pause,  then  he  said, 
"  Did  you  go  before  a  justice  of  the  peace?  " 

"  A  justice  of  the  peace? "  Then  she 
added  inconsequently,  "  My  uncle  is  a  justice 
of  the  peace."  She  had  never  heard  of  a  civil 
marriage;  she  did  not  know  in  the  least  what 
he  meant. 

"  Or — or  a  minister?  " 

She  began  to  understand  now. 

"  I  married  you  myself,  sister,  and  it  was 
sealed  in  heaven,  but  I  haven't  got  a  license 
to  marry,  so  that  the  Gentiles  would  say — 
that  the  knot  wasn't  tied,  ye  know."  The  last 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  89 

words  were  a  lapse  into  common  parlance. 
She  had  grown  accustomed  to  the  hybrid  na 
ture  of  his  mannerism. 

He  had  expected  and  feared  to  see  her 
white  face  flame  into  excitement,  but  to  Sus 
annah  it  seemed  a  small  thing  now  what  the 
Gentiles  might  say.  If  the  marriage  was  in 
deed  sealed  in  heaven,  then  all  was  well.  And 
if  it  was  not,  worse  could  not  be.  She  was 
too  weary  now  to  respond  to  the  prophet's 
worldly  solicitude  for  her.  Looking  at  the 
still  unconscious  Halsey,  she  felt  that  there 
was  time  enough  for  further  action. 

Smith  said,  "  Emma  would  have  come, 
but  the  child  has  spasms." 

"  We  meant  to  go  to  you,"  said  Susan 
nah.  "  We  lost  our  way.  I  only  heard  to-day 
wrhere  you  were." 

After  a  while  he  said,  "  I  might  stop  here 
with  our  sick  brother  and  send  you  to  Emma, 
but  there  is  a  congregation  called  for  to-night. 
Mr.  Cowdery  would  have  come,  but  he  was 
at  the  baptising." 

"  Did  you  leave  the  baptising  just  to  come 
and  see  us?  "  It  occurred  to  her  that  from 
his  point  of  view  two  stray  disciples  such  as 
herself  and  Halsey  could  be  of  little  impor-. 
tance  compared  with  his  appearance  at  the 
solemn  function. 

Smith  busied  himself  giving  Halsey  more 
water.  That  done,  he  went  away  without  fur 
ther  words.  Susannah  heard  his  horse  gallop 
from  the  door.  She  knew  that  he  had  trav- 


go  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

elled  some  five  miles  to  pay  this  visit,  and  she 
supposed  that  he  desired  to  return  if  possible 
before  the  converts  had  come  up  from  the 
water.  His  visit  had  undoubtedly  brought 
her  comfort.  His  response  to  her  message 
had  been  prompt  and  kind.  She  knew  now 
that  his  thoughts  and  Emma's  were  busy 
concerning  her.  And  then,  too,  the  sick 
man  was  better.  He  had  gone  quietly  to 
sleep. 

The  woman  of  the  house  brought  her  for 
food  an  unusual  delicacy.  Smith  had  ordered 
this.  Mrs.  Biery  made  some  remarks  con 
cerning  him.  She  said  that  his  coat  seemed 
very  old,  but  that  he  had  given  her  money  and 
bid  her  attend  diligently  upon  the  sick  man 
and  his  wife.  Susannah,  who  knew  how  little 
money  the  Smiths  had  hitherto  possessed, 
how  many  things  they  must  want  for  them 
selves,  was  touched. 

As  her  spirits  revived,  her  faith  and  hope 
in  the  new  sect  revived  also.  She  looked 
among  the  few  possessions  Halsey  had 
brought  with  him  for  the  precious  copy  of  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  and  sat  reading  it  by  An 
gel's  bedside  while  the  autumn  sun  was 
sinking*. 

Sometimes  she  heard  a  traveller  stop  at 
the  inn  door  and  pass  on  again.  At  dusk 
there  was  a  sound  of  horses  coming  with 
speed.  To  her  surprise  Joseph  Smith  came 
into  the  room  again.  He  looked  as  if  he  had 
been  riding  hard,  but  he  spoke  as  quietly  as 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  91 

though  he  had  gone  only  from  that  room  to 
the  next. 

"  I  have  brought  a  gentleman  who  can 
marry  you  according  to  the  law  of  the  State." 
Susannah  had  gone  forward  to  greet  him,  but 
now  she  looked  suddenly  back  toward  the 
unconscious  man,  whose  form  was  almost  in 
distinguishable  in  the  dusk. 

Smith  brought  candles  and  set  them  at 
the  foot  of  the  bed.  He  took  Halsey  by  the 
hand  and  lifted  him  to  a  sitting  posture,  tell 
ing  him  in  clear  strong  tones  what  was  re 
quired  of  him.  Halsey  understood.  He  be 
came  completely  conscious  under  Smith's  in 
fluence,  and  for  the  hour  almost  strong.  He 
would  know  where  he  was  and  how  he  came 
there,  who  the  minister  was  that  had  come. 
He  even  required  that  this  stranger  should 
show  his  license  to  marry. 

The  minister  was  a  common-looking  man, 
small,  shaggy  as  to  the  beard,  business-like. 
He  knew  nothing  of  Joseph  Smith's  prophet 
ical  claims,  and  cared  only  to  know  that  Sus 
annah  was  over  eighteen  years  of  age.  Mar 
riage  was  a  thing  easily  accomplished  in  that 
day  and  region.  A  few  minutes  more  and 
Susannah  was  a  wife. 

In  after  years,  when  she  used  to  think  of 
Angel  Halsey  as  having  gone  before  her  into 
the  unseen,  Susannah  held  the  belief  that  the 
part  of  him  which  she  would  meet  there 
would  be  that  which  shone  out  in  the  rare 
half-playful  smiles  he  gave,  in  the  glance 


92  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

which,  at  the  moment  of  smiling,  he  bent  on 
her.  He  was  a  very  grave  man,  shrewd  in 
many  ways,  in  others  as  simple  as  a  child, 
but  above  all  greatly  religious.  His  religion, 
however  deep  might  be  its  root,  was  also  al 
ways  upon  the  surface.  Only  now  and  then, 
when,  as  at  their  first  meeting,  he  recognised 
in  his  serious  way  that  something  else  was 
required  if  he  would  truly  hold  communion 
with  Susannah,  the  smile  would  come  as  from 
some  inward  part  of  his  spirit,  like  a  dawning 
light  slowly  breaking  through  the  surface, 
soon  withdrawn  again  by  the  power  of  cus 
tom.  When  he  thus  smiled,  Susannah  in 
those  days  trusted  him  absolutely,  avowed 
herself  entirely  to  his  service,  and  felt  within 
her  heart  a  large  measure  of  affection. 

Halsey's  was  the  first  case  of  illness  in  the 
newly-formed  sect  that  called  itself  already 
"  The  Church  of  Christ."  Joseph  Smith  and 
Cowdery  and  a  man  named  Whitmer,  with 
whom  the  Smiths  were  now  housed,  having 
consulted  upon  it,  decided  that  they  must 
begin  at  once  to  carry  out  the  commands  of 
Scripture.  They  came  together,  therefore, 
and  anointed  Halsey  with  oil,  laying  their 
hands  upon  him  and  praying  fervently.  Hal 
sey,  believing  himself  to  be  healed,  got  up 
from  his  sick-bed,  and  his  recovery  progressed 
rapidly. 

Full  of  excitement,  fervour,  superstition, 
and  faith,  the  apostles  of  the  new  doctrine' 
were  fully  persuaded  that  they  might  expect 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  93 

a  literal  fulfilment  of  the  promise  that  signs 
and  wonders  should  follow  them  that  believe. 
The  fierce  opposition  and  hatred  which  were 
roused  by  the  reports  of  their  doings  are  easily 
accounted  for  when  we  consider  that  their 
opinions  had  to  encounter  that  curious  dis 
tortion  of  reason  which  has  caused  religious 
warfare  in  all  times  and  places  to  become  the 
worst  sort  of  warfare,  and  the  fact  which 
Smith  himself  had  acknowledged  when  he 
first  saw  Susannah,  that  many  evil  reports 
about  him  had  formerly  been  true;  then  also 
the  new  sect  produced  vehement  psychical 
disturbance  wherever  it  touched  the  sur 
rounding  population,  and  many  things  oc 
curred  which  might,  or  might  not,  be  termed 
miracles,  according  to  the  interpretation  of 
the  observer.  It  was  no  longer  possible  for 
Joseph  Smith  to  ride,  as  he  had  done  on  the 
day  of  Susannah's  marriage,  with  a  minister 
of  one  of  the  older  sects.  He  became  very 
notorious,  and  to  every  one  except  those 
who  were  interested  enough  in  his  doctrine 
to  give  him  a  fair  hearing,  his  name  became 
a  synonym  for  all  evil. 

Halsey  remained  with  Susannah  at  John 
Biery's  hotel.  Halsey  was  one  of  the  few 
converts  who  could  afford  to  live  in  compara 
tive  comfort  and  to  pay  something  for  the 
entertainment  of  destitute  disciples.  For  that 
reason  the  landlord,  John  Biery,  held  himself 
from  the  religious  quarrel  that  was  shaking 
the  region. 


94 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 


Even  before  Halsey  had  regained  his 
strength  he  drove  Susannah  to  swell  the  con 
gregation  at  the  preachings  which  were  daily 
taking  place  in  different  places  within  the 
township,  for  such  converts  as  had  already 
professed  themselves  were  gathered  now  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Fayette. 

Experiences  came  to  Susannah  in  such 
quick  succession  that  this  was  not  a  time  of 
reflection.  Such  part  of  her  husband's  reli 
gion  as  she  could  appropriate  she  endeav 
oured  very  sincerely  to  embrace.  After  the 
manner  of  the  thought  of  the  time  she  sup 
posed  that  the  sect  was  either  right  or  wrong 
— if  right,  all  right;  if  wrong,  all  wrong. 
Sometimes  the  ghastly  fear  that  her  growing 
belief  was  false  would  arise  with  hideous 
menace. 


CHAPTER  XL 

ALL  the  doings  of  the  infant  sect  were  di 
rected  by  those  utterances  of  Joseph  Smith 
which  he  held  to  be  revelations.  These  were 
confided  sometimes  to  the  elders,  sometimes 
to  the  converts  at  large.  Susannah  frequent 
ly  heard  of  them  first  through  Emma  Smith, 
whose  pious  heart  was  constantly  filled  with 
wonder  and  thankfulness  at  the  thought  of 
the  great  honour  vouchsafed  to  her  husband. 
These  revelations,  sometimes  illimitable  in 
their  sweep,  and  sometimes  having  reference 
only  to  the  most  minute  practical  details,  were 
at  this  time  all  in  accordance  either  with  the 
dictates  of  common  sense  or  with  the  severely 
literal  meaning  of  some  Scripture  text.  They 
were  therefore  easily  justified  either  to  rea 
son  or  to  the  eye  of  faith,  but  the  results  of 
their  application  were  often  startling,  and  it 
was  facts,  not  theories,  that  chiefly  caused 
Susannah  to  stagger. 

At  length  the  growing  excitement  among 
the  congregation  seemed  to  gather  toward 
some  climax.  It  was  then  that  Joseph  Smith 
was  said  for  the  first  time  to  cast  out  devils. 

Near  to  John  Biery's  hotel  lived  a  family 

95 


96  THE   MORMON   PROPHET. 

of  the  name  of  Knight.  The  worthy  farmer 
became  a  convert,  and  so  also,  in  appearance, 
did  his  son.  Susannah  first  saw  them  at  their 
baptism,  which  took  place  one  cold  bleak  day 
in  the  margin  of  Seneca  Lake.  The  horses 
which  had  brought  the  little  company  to  the 
edge  of  the  water,  having  been  tied  among 
the  trees,  made  a  constant  rustling  and  tramp 
ling  among  the  fallen  leaves.  The  sharp 
rustle,  the  thud  of  the  hoofs  upon  the  ground, 
were  sounds  long  connected  in  her  mind  with 
the  crisis  of  her  doubt,  which  then  began. 
The  maples  stood  above  them,  tall  and  leaf 
less;  the  waters  of  the  lake  were  leaden  in  hue 
and  cold.  Looking  southward  on  either  side 
of  its  long  flood,  the  shores  with  their  many 
points  and  headlands  lay  cold,  almost  hueless, 
near  by,  and  in  the  distance  blue  as  tarnished 
steel. 

It  was  a  bitter  day  for  baptist  and  for  the 
immersed.  Joseph  Smith  went  out  alone 
into  the  water,  commanding  the  other  elders 
to  remain  upon  the  shore.  Whatever  else 
the  man  had  or  had  not,  he  had  splendid 
courage  in  facing  physical  ills.  There  were 
but  few  candidates.  Susannah,  standing 
apart  near  the  shore,  chanced  to  be  in  the 
path  by  which  the  younger  Knight  descended 
to  the  water.  He  was  a  young  man  with 
strong  features  and  a  thick,  unhealthy  skin. 
He  was  dressed  in  the  wet  garments  which 
another  candidate  had  taken  off.  Cold  he 
might  have  been,  but  as  he  passed  she  heard 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  97 

his  teeth  chatter  so  loudly  that  it  almost 
seemed  to  her  that  his  very  bones  rattled. 
She  drew  back  with  the  impression  that  some 
horrible  thing  had  passed  by.  Before  she 
had  time  to  wonder  that  the  chill  should  have 
had  such  an  effect  upon  the  hardy  fellow,  his 
feet  were  in  the  water,  and  he  turned  and 
caught  her  eye.  The  look  he  gave  her  be 
came  suddenly  one  of  terrified  entreaty. 

Susannah  did  not  move;  she  was  spell 
bound.  He  began  to  wade  toward  Smith, 
who  stood  in  the  deeper  water.  She  won 
dered  why  he  allowed  himself  to  be  immersed. 
She  was  certain  that  he  did  not  desire  it,  was 
certain  also  that  no  motives  of  interest,  no 
physical  force,  could  have  operated  to  com 
pel,  when  suddenly  she  asked  herself  sharply 
what  force  had  taken  her  into  the  waters  of 
this  extraordinary  baptism? 

To  her  astonishment,  when  Newell  Knight 
came  up  from  the  water  he  was  shouting 
aloud.  She  thought  that  his  accents  were  a 
horrible  simulation  of  merriment,  but  by  the 
others  they  were  accepted  as  an  evidence  of 
holy  joy. 

Two  days  after,  when  Susannah  and  her 
husband  were  returning  from  Smith's  preach 
ing  through  the  autumn  night,  they  were  met 
as  they  were  approaching  Biery's  hotel  by  a 
messenger  from  Knight's  house.  The  mes 
senger  had  been  sent  to  fetch  Halsey.  He 
reported  that  Newell  Knight  was  in  "  an 
awful  way."  Susannah  alighted  at  once  and 


98  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

walked  to  the  tavern,  in  order  that  her  hus 
band  might  drive  with  all  speed  to  the  af 
flicted  man. 

The  lights  as  they  shone  from  John 
Biery's  windows  reminded  her  vividly  of  the 
first  time,  a  month  since,  when  she  had  driven 
to  that  house  at  night.  She  had  grown  much 
older  since  then,  stronger  in  many  ways, 
weaker  in  some,  but  she  was  not  conscious  of 
this;  it  was  not  her  way  to  give  even  so  much 
as  a  passing  glance  at  herself  as  one  of  the 
actors  in  life's  drama.  The  road  on  which 
she  trod  was  heavy  with  mud.  The  night- 
winds  cried  around  and  through  the  empty 
branches  of  two  or  three  neglected  trees  in 
the  clearing.  The  square  wooden  tavern 
stood  at  the  cross-roads.  The  light  from  the 
door  made  a  pathway  through  the  darkness, 
up  which  Susannah  walked. 

When  she  entered,  the  heat  and  fumes 
from  fire,  candles,  tobacco-pipes,  and  steam 
ing  mugs  met  her.  She  was  accustomed  to 
walking  through  John  Biery's  main  room  to 
gain  the  stair  that  led  to  her  own;  on  the 
whole  it  was  not  disorderly,  or  Susannah  had 
but  to  appear  on  the  threshold  to  reduce  it 
to  order.  To-night  the  men  did  not  let  her 
pass  with  their  usual  civil  "  Good  evening  " ; 
they  assumed  that  she  had  an  interest  in  their 
talk. 

"  Is  Mr.  Halsey  stopping  over  to  Farmer 
Knight's?"  asked  Biery.  "My!  and  they'll 
be  real  glad  to  get  him,  ye  know.  Twiced 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  99 

they've  been  here  fur  him.  They  say  that 
Newell  Knight  he's  possessed  with  a  devil." 

Susannah  wrapped  her  shawl  tightly  across 
her  breast,  a  nervous  movement  caused  not 
by  cold  but  by  the  desire  to  withdraw  her  real 
self  from  the  surrounding  circumstance. 

A  tall  thin  man  sitting  by  the  table  set 
down  his  mug  with  a  clatter  upon  it.  "  Wall 
now,  tain't  my  idea  thet  thet's  exectly  what's 
taken  Newell.  I  saw  a  case  of  a  man  thet 
was  taken  under  the  preacher  Finney.  'Twas 
over  to  Ithica.  The  hull  town  knew  about  it. 
A  lot  of  folks  went  in.  I  jest  looked  in  when 
I  was  passing,  and  seen  the  man  meself.  He 
was  lyin'  on  the  floor.  His  wife  was  aholdin' 
his  head,  but  he  didn't  know  her.  He  hedn't 
no  knowledge  of  any  of  the  folks.  He  jest 
lay  there  rollin',  and  his  eyes  was  rollin'.  And 
when  Finney  was  fetched,  Finney  he  said  'twas 
1  conviction.'  I  don't  know  what  the  man 
was  convicted  of,  but  'twas  '  conviction  '  Fin 
ney  called  it.  He  didn't  say  nothing  about 
being  possessed  with  devils." 

The  third  speaker  was  a  small  fat  man. 
His  face  was  smooth  and  had  the  peculiar 
boylike  appearance  that  chubbiness  gives 
even  to  the  midclle-aged;  he  had  bright  black 
eyes,  and  before  he  spoke  he  glanced  at  Susan 
nah  critically. 

"  When  they're  taken  that  way  under 
Finney,"  he  said,  as  if  meditating,  "  '  convic 
tion  '  commonly  means  conviction  of  sins — • 
their  own  sins,  ye  know,  not  other  folk's;  and 


100  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

when  they  git  up,  if  they've  taken  anything 
wrongfully  they  hev  to  restore  it  fourfold 
afore  the  conviction  will  leave  off  a-worrittin' 
them.  I  don't  know  how  'tis  among  the  Mor 
mons."  The  last  words  were  said  in  an  un 
dertone  and  he  had  dropped  his  eyes.  It 
would  have  required  a  brave  man  to  treat 
Susannah  to  open  sarcasm. 

She  stood  looking  from  one  to  the  other. 
She  still  wore  her  girlish  cottage  bonnet,  and 
as  its  fashion  was,  it  had  slipped  backwards 
upon  the  amber  ringlets  that  hung  upon  her 
neck;  but  the  girlish  look  was  fast  passing 
from  the  face,  the  hair  parting  fell  on  either 
side  of  pale  cheeks. 

"  Oh,  as  to  thet,  's  fur  as  I  know,  one  re 
ligion's  as  good  as  another,"  said  the  politic 
Biery. 

Susannah  looked  at  the  fat,  bright-eyed 
man  who  was  no  longer  looking  at  her.  "  I 
know  "  (her  voice  fell  with  a  strange  gentle 
ness  through  the  thickened  atmosphere  of  the 
room)  "  that  there  are  many  malicious  stories 
abroad  about  the  dishonesty  of  our  people 
which  are  not  true." 

But  as  she  went -up  the  stair  she  remem 
bered  that  she  had  heard  of  no  case  where 
reformation  of  character  had  been  followed 
by  the  returning  of  the  fourfold.  Most  of 
these  saints  of  the  new  sect  had  before  their 
conversion  been,  like  her  husband,  already 
God-fearing  and  righteous,  but  in  cases 
where,  like  their  leader,  they  had  been  re- 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  IQI 

claimed  from  evil  courses,  had  they  not  been 
satisfied  with  offering-  the  present  and  future 
to  God,  leaving  the  past?  She  had  heard  of 
no  case  of  restitution  such  as  Finney  insisted 
upon. 

Susannah  entered  the  low,  wide  room  in 
which  she  lived.  The  chimney  from  the  lower 
room  passed  up  and  was  always  warm.  She 
went  and  laid  her  cold  hands  against  the 
rough  plaster  that  covered  its  bricks,  and, 
being  tired,  she  leaned,  laying  her  cheek  too 
against  its  warm  surface.  The  one  candle  cast 
but  a  faint  light  upon  the  chairs,  the  bed,  the 
table.  The  small  panes  of  the  window-glass 
were  bare  to  the  darkness  without  and  the 
empty  tree-branches.  The  heavy  latch  of  the 
closed  door  was  fastened  crookedly  for  lack 
of  good  workmanship. 

Her  unsatisfied  mind  ached  for  counsel, 
and  her  thought,  roving  over  the  world,  could 
fix  only  on  Ephraim  as  she  had  at  first  learned 
to  know  him,  wise  and  quiet  and  kind.  The 
warm  chimney  seemed  a  poor  thing  to  lean 
her  head  against  while  she  felt  that  her  faith 
was  failing.  Then  the  remembrance  of  the 
shot  Ephraim  had  fired  and  his  callousness 
choked  back  her  tears. 

She  waited  an  hour,  two  hours;  then,  be 
coming  anxious  on  Halsey's  account,  she  bor 
rowed  a  lantern  and  went  across  the  fields  to 
Knight's  farmhouse. 

Quite  a  number  of  people  had  gathered. 
Susannah  met  some  of  them  coming  from  the 


102  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

house,  but  others  were  still  there,  standing 
about  the  fire  in  the  kitchen.  She  heard  that 
the  later  arrivals  had  all  been  disappointed 
of  the  sight  of  Newell  Knight  in  his  fit.  Hal- 
sey  had  assumed  authority,  stating  that  it  was 
indeed  a  case  of  possession,  and  that  none  but 
those  who  were  strong  in  faith  and  in  the 
power  of  prayer  must  come  near  the  pos 
sessed.  The  craving  of  the  visitors  for  ex 
citement  was  only  fed  by  the  sound  of 
the  young  man's  voice,  heard  at  short  inter 
vals. 

He  cried  aloud,  sometimes  shrieking  that 
he  was  being  taken  into  "  the  pit  "  and  that 
Joseph  Smith  could  alone  deliver  him,  some 
times  exclaiming  in  a  strange  voice  that  he 
was  no  longer  Newell  Knight  but  a  demon, 
and  sometimes  only  moaning  and  gibbering 
words  that  no  one  could  understand. 

Halsey  came  out  to  Susannah.  "  Wouldst 
thou  see  him?  "  he  asked  tenderly.  "  The 
sight  will  distress  thee,  for  it  is  truly  terrible 
to  see  with  the  eye  of  flesh  the  power  of  hell, 
and  yet  I  cannot  forbid  thee  if  thou  wouldst 
come,  for  perchance  the  Lord  may  mean  it 
for  our  edification." 

Susannah  went  with  him  into  the  inner 
room,  hardly  knowing  why  she  went,  but 
probably  impelled  by  the  instinctive  desire  to 
relieve  suffering  which  was  part  of  her  wom 
anhood.  The  young  man's  father  and  moth 
er,  together  with  two  or  three  Mormon  con 
verts,  were  kneeling  upon  the  floor,  saying 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  IO3 

prayers  for  the  sufferer  in  more  or  less  audi 
ble,  more  or  less  agonised  tones. 

The  young  man  lay  upon  a  pallet-bed,  in 
what  would  have  been  called  by  the  medical 
science  of  the  time  "  convulsions."  His  eye 
balls  were  rolled  upwards  in  a  manner  most 
disfiguring  to  his  face.  His  hands  were 
clenched.  Halsey  no  sooner  entered  the  room 
than  he,  too,  fell  upon  his  knees,  lifting  his 
face  upward  as  if  in  silent  and  fervent 
prayer. 

For  a  moment  Susannah  felt  impelled  to 
follow  his  example.  "  But  perhaps,"  she 
thought  to  herself,  "  cold  water  upon  the  pa 
tient's  head,  or  a  warm  foot-bath — "  Such 
suggestions  caused  her  to  resist  the  impulse 
to  join  the  praying  band,  and,  having  resisted 
it,  she  suddenly  experienced,  as  one  feels  a 
fresh  breeze  entering  a  close  room,  a  strong, 
clear  sense  of  knowledge  that  in  this  matter, 
at  least,  her  husband  was  deluded,  that  the 
friends  had  better  rise  from  their  knees  and 
betake  themselves  to  ruder  remedies. 

Susannah  had  never  learned  to  command; 
she  had  never  even  learned  to  advise.  She 
had  too  much  reverence  to  speak  aloud,  dis 
turbing  those  who  were  at  prayer.  She  stood 
hesitating,  and  then,  in  very  low  tones,  whis 
pered  her  belief  in  her  husband's  ear. 

No  doubt  Halsey  was  shocked  at  his 
wife's  unbelief;  perhaps  by  the  law  of  telepa 
thy,  for  whose  existence  some  psychical  ex 
perts  vouch,  his  thought  penetrated  the  mind 

8 


104  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

of  the  sensitive  upon  the  bed.  Whatever  the 
cause,  Newell  Knight  sat  up  and  pointed  at 
Susannah,  crying  aloud  that  he  saw  the  devil 
about  to  seize  upon  her.  So  excited  was  the 
mental  atmosphere,  so  vivid  were  the  suffer 
er's  words  and  the  effect  of  his  pointing  fin 
ger,  or,  perhaps,  so  substantial  was  his  vision, 
that  more  than  one  of  the  saints  afterwards 
averred  that  they  had  seen  the  Evil  One  about 
to  embrace  Susannah.  But  they  did  not  agree 
in  the  description  of  his  form. 

Halsey  wrapped  his  arms  about  his  wife, 
and  led  her  like  a  child  from  the  room  and 
from  the  house.  She  hardly  had  time  to  speak 
before  she  saw  the  night  again  about  her.  He 
set  her  down  upon  an  old  log  that  chanced  to 
lie  against  Knight's  barn,  kneeling  beside  her. 
There,  when  they  were  alone  in  the  darkness, 
he  invoked  that  name  to  which  throughout 
all  Christendom  the  devils  are  believed  to  be 
subject. 

"  Angel,"  she  said  gently,  "  stop  praying 
and  listen  to  me.  If  you  can  command  the 
devil  in  the  name  of  our  Lord,  why  don't  you 
do  that  to  poor  Newell  Knight?  "  She  felt 
strong  sympathy  for  the  young  man;  she  was 
moved  almost  to  tears  to  think  they  were  tak 
ing  the  wrong  way  with  him. 

"  I  have  tried  and  failed.  We  have  sent 
for  Joseph  Smith.  My  faith  is  not  strong 
enough,"  he  added  humbly.  "  This  cometh 
not  forth  but  by  prayer  and  by  fasting.  Look! 
I  am  even  now  unfaithful  to  my  charge  be- 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  105 

cause  I  love  thee,  friend,  more,  I  fear,  than 
the  work  of  the  Lord." 

They  were  left  alone  because  Halsey  in 
passing  out  had  left  the  door  of  the  sick  room 
open  to  the  eager  neighbours.  Now  reluc 
tantly  he  went  back  to  his  task  of  guarding 
the  patient,  and  Susannah,  after  assuring  his 
anxious  soul  that  she  felt  no  ill  effects  what 
ever  from  the  dire  proximity,  went  home 
again  across  the  dark  frozen  fields  with  her 
lantern.  She  sat  half  the  night  watching  and 
waiting. 

It  was  in  the  darkest  hour  before  the  dawn 
that  she  heard  Halsey's  step  and  crept  down 
through  the  black  house  to  unlock  the  door 
for  him.  When  they  had  come  again  into  the 
room  she  saw  that  he  was  greatly  excited, 
filled  with  apparent  calm  of  an  exalted  mood. 

"  We  have  beheld  a  most  glorious  victory, 
friend;  and  truly  we  have  been  shown  signs 
and  wonders,  and  a  very  great  miracle  has 
been  wrought.  I  wish  thou  couldst  have  seen 
with  thine  own  eyes,  and  yet " 

She  thought  that  he  had  been  going  to 
say  that  her  lack  of  faith  had  made  it  more 
expedient  for  her  to  be  away,  but  that  he  had 
checked  in  himself  even  the  thought  that  he 
was  more  worthy  of  privilege  than  she. 

It  seemed  that  Joseph  Smith,  having  been 
preaching  the  evening  before  at  a  place  some 
twenty  miles  away,  had  not  been  able  to  reach 
Knight's  house  until  nearly  two  in  the  morn 
ing. 


106  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

"  He  rode  all  night/'  said  Halsey,  "  and 
lost  not  a  moment  in  coming  to  the  inner 
room;  it  was  like  him." 

"  Yes,"  said  Susannah,  "  it  was  like  him; 
he  is  very  kind." 

Halsey  went  on.  "  He  spread  his  hands 
over  Newell  and  commanded  the  devils  to 
come  out  of  him." 

u  And  did  they  come?  " 

"  They  left  him.  Joseph  said  that  it  was 
given  to  him  to  see  that  there  Avere  three  of 
them;  but  they  departed,  going  out  into  the 
darkness." 

The  wind  moaned  against  the  window 
near  which  Susannah  sat. 

"  They  left  Newell  very  weak,  but  at  peace 
like  an  infant  sleeping.  But  at  first  I  feared 
that  he  was  as  one  dead,  for  I  could  not  see 
him  breathe;  but  Joseph's  faith  was  strong, 
for  he  lifted  up  his  voice  and  began  to  give 
praise,  and  he  took  Newell  by  the  hand  and 
bade  him  rise,  but  his  hand  fell  back  as  if  there 
was  no  life  in  it.  Then  Joseph  Smith  knelt 
with  us  upon  the  floor,  and  Newell  lay  smil 
ing,  but  his  eyes  were  closed,  and  he  seemed 
dead  to  this  world,  although  the  body  was 
warm.  Afterwards  he  told  us  that  at  the  time 
he  was  seeing  a  vision  of  unspeakable  light 
and  glory.  And  then,  as  we  watched  him,  I 
fearing  because  my  faith  was  weak,  a  marvel 
happened  as  a  sign  and  seal  to  our  faith  that 
Joseph  is  indeed  called  to  be  a  great  prophet. 
I  wish  that  thou  couldst  have  seen  it,  Susan- 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  107 

nah,  for  the  miracle  has  given  me  a  great  up 
lifting  in  spirit,  but  I  am  come  to  bear  wit 
ness  to  it,  that  thou,  too,  mayest  rejoice  in 
the  marvel." 

There  was  a  few  moments'  pause.  "  What 
was  it?  "  she  asked. 

"  Newell  began  to  rise  from  the  bed.  He 
did  not  sit  up  or  move  himself,  but  he  was 
raised  slowly  into  the  air,  still  reclining  as 
though  upon  his  pillow.  The  invisible  hands 
of  angels  bore  him  upwards." 
.  Susannah  knit  her  brows.  "  Did  you  see 
the  angels?  I  don't  understand."  And  then 
more  vehemently  she  asked,  "  What  was  it 
that  you  did  see?  " 

"  Nay,  friend,  it  was  not  vouchsafed  to  us 
to  see  the  blessed  spirits,  but  surely  they  must 
have  lifted  him,  for  he  rose,  soaring  upwards, 
as  thou  hast  seen  the  thistledown  ascend 
gently,  almost  as  high  as  the  roof  of  the  room. 
As  we  gazed  in  great  astonishment,  and  the 
women  fainted  for  fear,  he  sank  again  as  slow 
ly  till  he  rested  upon  his  bed,  and  he  opened 
his  eyes  and  spoke  to  us  of  the  wonderful 
vision  of  light  which  he  had  seen,  and  then 
he  arose  in  perfect  health  and  walked." 

Susannah  sat  silent  for  a  minute  or  two. 
Her  husband  was  also  silent,  wrapped  in  con 
templation.  Then  Susannah  said,  "  You  are 
very  tired,  Angel.  You  were  overwrought 
last  night,  even  before  you  were  called  to  the 
Knights';  you  had  better  go  to  sleep  now." 

She    darkened    the    window   against    the 


108  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

coming  of  the  dawn  that  her  husband  might 
sleep  in  the  day  instead  of  the  night.  She 
herself  went  downstairs  with  the  earliest  stir 
of  footsteps.  Because  of  a  whim  that  seized 
her,  she  helped  to  prepare  the  breakfast  that 
was  to  be  served  to  the  household  at  sunrise, 
and  then  she  partook  of  it  heartily,  looking 
out  of  a  southern  window  as  she  ate,  watch 
ing  the  red  sun  ascend  behind  the  naked  boles 
of  the  elms.  She  was  glad  that  the  new  day 
had  come.  Her  heart  ached  not  so  much  with 
pure  grief  now  as  with  mocking  laughter. 
Her  husband  was  mad,  quite  mad,  or  else — 
and  this  was  the  more  bitter  belief — he  had 
seen  that  she  was  in  danger  of  disaffection, 
and  had  told  this  lie  to  dupe  her,  thinking  that 
because  she  was  a  woman  she  would  be  im 
pressed  by  it.  As  the  sincerity  of  Angel's 
look  came  before  her  she  said  to  herself  that 
if  that  were  the  case  no  doubt  Joseph  Smith 
had  invented  the  story,  and  laid  it  upon  An 
gel's  conscience  to  tell  it.  That  or  madness 
was*  the  only  explanation. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

IT  was  long  after  the  day  of  her  departure 
before  Ephraim  again  set  out  to  find  Susan 
nah.  An  illness  to  which  he  was  subject  first 
came  upon  him,  and  then,  when  days  were 
past  and  he  was  able  to  leave  his  bed,  con 
flicting  reports  concerning  Susannah  had 
been  brought  to  the  house,  and  Ephraim's 
courage  failed.  Why  should  he  go  if  by  see 
ing  her  he  could  neither  give  her  pleasure  nor 
do  her  good?  It  was  natural  that  report, 
dwelling  on  what  it  could  understand  rather 
than  on  what  was  incomprehensible,  should 
magnify  Susannah's  love  for  Halsey.  No 
man  in  New  Manchester  who  in  the  past 
month  had  chanced  to  catch  sight  of  any 
maid  holding  secret  parlance  with  any  lover 
but  now  swore  stoutly  that  that  maid  had 
been  Susannah. 

It  often  happens  that  schemes  least  cal 
culated  to  succeed  attain  success.  Susannah 
and  Halsey  had  not  gone  far,  nor  had  they 
gone  with  great  secrecy,  yet  it  had  happened 
that  no  one  had  observed'  them  as  they  trav 
elled,  and  as  there  was  at  that  time  of  the 
year  little  communication  between  the  towns 

109 


HO  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

to  the  east  and  west  of  Geneva  Market,  it 
was  long  before  real  news  concerning  them 
transpired. 

At  length,  when  many  days  had  passed, 
it  was  told  in  Manchester  where  Susannah 
really  was;  and  as  if  the  mischief  Rumour 
was  ashamed  of  being  caught  telling  the 
truth,  she  hastily  added  a  lie,  and  one  that 
had  a  fair  show  of  evidence  in  its  favour.  She 
declared  that  Susannah  had  not  been  married 
except  by  some  mystical  Mormon  ceremony 
which  was  void  in  law. 

When  Ephraim  heard  this  circumstantial 
story,  and  with  it  many  new  tales  concerning 
wicked  mysteries  practised  by  the  Mormons 
in  Fayette,  he  threw  down  his  books,  as  long 
ago  the  fabled  fruit  that  had  turned  to  ashes 
was  thrown  down,  and  prepared  for  the  road. 

In  the  first  day's  journey  he  reached 
Geneva,  and  setting  out  again  before  it  was 
light,  he  came  to  John  Biery's  hotel  when  the 
sun  was  rising  red  beyond  the  gray  elm 
boughs  on  the  morning  on  which  Susannah 
breakfasted  alone. 

Susannah  looked  up  from  her  breakfast 
and  saw  Ephraim  standing  beside  her.  It  was 
his  way  to  look  calm  outwardly,  but  she  could 
see  that  he  was  struggling  with  the  nervous 
untoward  beating  of  his  heart,  so  that  he 
could  not  speak.  Susannah  did  not  under 
stand  why  she  could  not  immediately  rise  and 
speak.  She  was  conscious  of  a  red  flush  that 
rose  and  mantled  her  face,  but  she  did  not 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  m 

understand  the  emotion  from  which  it  arose. 
She  only  knew  that  she  was  glad  to  see  Ephra- 
im,  more  glad  than  she  could  have  thought 
to  be  of  anything  upon  a  day  when  her  heart 
had  been  set  mocking. 

"  You  have  come  at  last,"  she  whispered, 
and  only  knew  when  the  words  were  said  that 
she  had  hoped  to  see  him  before.  Her  whis 
per  was  broken  by  rising  tears,  which  she 
checked  in  very  shame. 

,    "I  want  to  speak  to  you,"  said  Ephraim 
briefly. 

So  she  rose  and  went  out  with  him.  She 
put  her  shawl  over  her  head  and  walked  upon 
the  roadside.  The  day  was  mild,  the  first  of 
the  Indian  summer.  Ephraim  had  not  put 
up  his  horse;  he  led  it  by  the  bridle  as  he 
walked. 

"  Sure  as  I'm  alive,  it's  her  uncle  as  has 
come  after  her  at  last,"  said  the  wife  of  John 
Biery,  gazing  through  the  small  panes  of  the 
kitchen  window.  And,  in  truth,  Ephraim  did 
look  many  years  older  than  Susannah,  for  his 
figure  was  bowed  somewhat  for  lack  of 
strength. 

Susannah  did  not  now  think  of  Ephraim 
as  old,  neither  did  she  think  of  him  as  young. 
To  her  he  was  just  Ephraim,  bearing  no  more 
relation  of  comparison  to  any  other  mortal 
than  if  his  had  been  the  only  soul  in  the  world 
beside  her  own.  She  was  not  aware  of  this; 
she  was  only  thinking  that  if  he  had  not  shot 
Halsey  she  would  have  been  able  to  speak 


112  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

freely  to  him  now.  It  was  so  wicked  of 
Ephraim,  above  all  others,  to  do  such  a  thing. 
It  was,  in  fact,  unforgivable  because  of  the 
stain  upon  Ephraim's  own  character  more 
than  because  of  Halsey's  blood.  But  that 
again  she  did  not  analyse.  She  only  knew 
that  her  feeling  kept  her  silent. 

"  I  am  here,  Susannah  " — in  his  battle  to 
speak  Ephraim  economised  words — "  to  ask 
you  to  come  back  with  me/' 

Susannah  considered.  It  would  be  per 
haps  the  best  thing  that  she  could  do  after 
she  had  spoken  her  mind  to  Angel.  He 
would  not  ask  her  to  remain  to  join  in  a  serv 
ice  she  loathed.  But  when  she  thought  of 
her  aunt,  and  of  the  voice  of  an  outraged 
Puritan  neighbourhood,  her  heart  naturally 
failed  her. 

"  I  cannot." 

"  Is  this  man  more  to  you — I  do  not  say 
than  the  ties  of  kindred,  for  that  is  natural — 
but  more  to  you  than  the  obligation  to  live 
a  life  of  reason  and  duty?  " 

"  No."  Susannah  spoke  the  answer  aloud 
because  it  arose  so  simply  and  strongly  with 
in  her.  Had  she  not  just  come  to  a  crisis  in 
which  her  desire  to  abide  by  reason  proved 
far  stronger  than  the  feeling  which  bound  her 
to  Halsey?  And  yet,  as  she  thought  of  his 
love  and  his  tenderness  for  her,  she  felt  only 
pity  for  him,  even  if  he  had  told  a  lie. 

Ephraim  had  grown  calmer,  but  at  the 
clear  denial  his  heart  again  beat  against  the 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  113 

breath  he  was  trying  to  draw.  She  did  not 
love  Halsey  then!  she  was  not  married  to 
him!  He  could  conceive  of  nothing  that 
could  have  brought  that  word  and  tone  to 
Susannah's  lips  if  she  were  bound. 

"  Does  not  duty  and  reason,  does  not  even 
mere  sanity,  call  upon  you  to  come  back  with 
me,  Susannah,  and  spend  your  life  where  you 
can  exercise  the  gifts  God  has  given  you 
among  those  who  abide  by  law  and  order?  " 

"  Perhaps,  Ephraim,  it  is  so;  but  I  am  too 
great  a  coward.  Think  of  the  shame  that  I 
should  have  to  endure  from  my  aunt,  and  all 
the  world  would  taunt  me  with  my  folly  and 
madness.  I  think  it  would  kill  what  little 
good  there  is  in  me.  For  although  I  should 
be  willing  to  suffer  if  I  have  done  wrong,  yet 
there  would  be  no  use  in  going  where  my 
punishment  would  be  greater  than  I  could 
bear." 

He  was  shocked  to  think  of  the  days  that 
had  elapsed  before  he  had  come  to  her.  She 
had  suffered  much  before  she  could  speak  in 
this  way,  and  when  he  saw  how  mild  and  sad 
she  was,  and,  above  all,  rational,  he  longed 
to  comfort  her  as  he  would  comfort  a  child 
with  caresses  and  the  promise  of  future  joys. 
He  could  give  her  neither,  because  he  be 
lieved  that  she  cared  for  neither  caress  nor 
joy  from  his  hand.  There  was  something  he 
could  offer — all  that  he  had  to  give  that  she 
could  take,  but  the  offer  was  so  hard  to  make 
that  he  prefaced  it. 


114  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

"  A  way  might  be  found  by  which  you 
could  return  to  our  house,  Susannah,  and  be 
troubled  by  no  spoken  reproach,  and  you 
could  live  down  that  which  was  unspoken." 
He  paused  a  minute,  and  then  said,  "  But 
I  would  know  first  that  you  leave  all  that  per 
tains  to  your  life  here  freely.  You  have  found 
it  true,  what  is  so  much  reported,  that  the 
Mormons  follow  wicked  practices?  " 

"  No,  oh  no,  Ephraim;  that  is  not  true — 
mad,  deluded  perhaps,  but  not  wicked.  The 
stories  of  wickedness  told  are  malicious  even 
where  there  is  a  colour  of  truth,  and  for  the 
most  part  there  is  none.  In  the  matter  of 
daily  life  they  abide  by  the  laws  of  God  and 
man,  and  nothing  else  is  taught." 

It  was  the  thought  of  the  sacerdotal  de 
ception  that  she  felt  had  been  so  lately  prac 
tised  upon  herself  that  caused  her  to  put  in 
the  reserving  words  "  in  the  matter  of  daily 
life";  but  when  she  remembered  the  malice 
that  had  instigated  report,  the  unlovely  lives 
of  the  malicious  fault-finders,  the  evil  stains 
that  lie  even  upon  the  best  lives,  she  burst 
out,  "  There  is  not  one  in  our  community, 
Ephraim,  who  would  stoop  to  a  cruel  act 
either  in  word  or  deed.  There  is  not  one  of 
us,  even  among  those  who  have  recently  re 
pented  from  very  wicked  lives,  who  would 
try  to  take  the  life  of  a  defenceless  man  when 
he  was,  at  a  great  cost  to  himself,  pursuing 
what  he  thought  to  be  the  path  of  duty — as 
you  did,  Ephraim." 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  115 

Before  this  he  had  kept  his  eyes  upon  the 
ground;  standing  still  now,  he  looked  straight 
into  hers.  So  for  a  minute  they  stood,  the 
horse's  head  drooping  beside  his  shoulder,  the 
woman  upon  the  roadside  erect,  passionate; 
around  them  the  leafless  wood  through  which 
the  long  straight  road  was  cut.  The  long 
level  red  beams  of  the  sun  struck  through  be 
tween  the  gray  trunks,  burnishing  the  wet 
carpet  of  the  fallen  leaf. 

"  Did  you  think  it  was  I  who  fired?  "  he 
asked. 

Then  he  went  on  with  the  horse,  and  she 
at  the  side. 

She  was  utterly  astonished.  "  Who, 
Ephraim — who  fired?  " 

He  looked  straight  in  front  of  him  again. 
"  It  was  my  mother.  She  brandished  the  gun 
in  his  face.  She  couldn't  have  intended  to 
shoot." 

From  Susannah's  heart  a  great  cloud  was 
lifted.  She  felt  no  confused  need  to  readjust 
her  thoughts;  rather  it  was  that  in  a  moment 
her  apprehension  of  Ephraim's  character 
slipped  easily  from  some  abnormal  strain  into 
normal  pleasure. 

She  pressed  her  hands  to  her  breast  as  if 
fondling  some  delight.  "  Forgive  me,"  she 
said,  "  but  I  am  so  glad,  oh,  so  very  glad." 
She  drew  a  long  breath  as  if  inhaling  not 
the  autumn  but  the  new  sweetness  of 
spring. 

So  they  went  on  a  little  way,  he  somewhat 


Il6  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

shy  because  of  her  emotion,  she  meditating" 
again,  and  this  question  pressed. 

"  And  you  think,"  she  asked,  "  that  your 
mother  would  receive  me  if  I  went  back  with 
you?  that  I  could  live  at  peace  with  her?  " 

"  Do  you  think  that  whatever  I  might  do 
she  would  ever  try  to  shoot  me?  "  he  asked 
with  half  a  smile.  "  Do  you  think  that  she 
would  ever,  by  word  or  deed,  do  anything  that 
would  hurt  me?  " 

"  Never/'  Susannah  said  the  word  as  a 
matter  of  course. 

"  Or  that  my  father  would  ever  deny  me 
anything  that  I  seriously  asked  for,  or  that 
he  knew  my  happiness  depended  upon?  " 

"  No,  surely  not;  but,  Ephraim " 

"  Oh,"  he  continued,  growing  distress  in 
his  voice,  "  Susannah,  is  there  any  place  else 
in  the  whole  world  that  you  can  go  for  shelter 
and  comfort  but  to  our  house?  You  have 
spoken  of  this  madness  and  delusion;  you  are 
satisfied  that  you  must  leave — "  He  had 
meant  to  say  "  this  man,"  but  he  was  too  shy, 
and  he  faltered — "  that  you  must  leave  these 
people?  " 

She  cast  her  eyes  far  in  among  the  trunks 
of  the  close-growing  trees,  upon  one  side  and 
then  upon  another,  as  if  looking  for  a  way  of 
escape.  Yes,  surely  her  faith  in  Angel's  creed 
had  been  hurt  beyond  recovery,  and  she  must 
free  herself,  but  how?  She  dallied  with 
Ephraim's  offer  of  asylum  because  she  could 
think  of  no  other. 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  117 

"Yes,"  she  said  mechanically;  "yes,  but 
how  can  1?  " 

"  Oh,  rny  dear  cousin,  don't  you  see  that 
it  is  wrong  for  you  to  stay  one  day  longer 
here?  If  you  believed  at  first  that  the  bond 
that  united  you  to  this  man  was  binding, 
you  do  not  believe  it  now.  You  were  so 
young  when  you  went,  yet  the  thing  can 
not  be  undone  on  that  account.  You  were 
so  beautiful  that  I  had  hoped  a  great 
and  prosperous  life  lay  before  you.  Now, 
of  course,  that  cannot  be,  but — but — at 
least  you  can  live  a  life  of  peace,  live  truly 
and  nobly,  using  your  faculties  to  glorify 
God." 

She  began  to  see  that  he  was  trying  to 
work  up  to  something  else  that  he  had  to  say. 
She  followed  him  needfully,  knowing  that 
with  Ephraim  the  steps  in  an  argument  were 
important.  He  saw  some  way  out  which  she 
did  not  see,  and  her  whole  mind  paused  in 
eager  listening. 

He  turned  and  faced  her  again,  lifting  his 
eyes,  holding  out  his  hand;  his  voice,  usually 
weak,  was  strong.  She  knew  that  it  was  a 
strong  man  who  spoke  to  her. 

"  Susannah,  will  you  take  my  name  and 
protection?  " 

She  gazed  at  him  incredulous,  and  then, 
beginning  to  understand  what  it  was  that  he 
thought,  and  all  that  he  meant,  she  leaned 
against  one  of  the  cold  gray  tree  trunks, 
weeping  weakly  like  a  child. 


Il8  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

"  But  I  am  married,"  the  words  came  with 
a  long  sobbing  sigh. 

"  Not  legally?  "  and  then  he  added,  "  nor 
in  God's  sight." 

"  Yes,  yes,  oh!  you  are  making  a  great 
mistake,  Ephraim.  Joseph  Smith  and  my 
husband  are  not  like  that.  A  minister  came 
and  did  it.  He  had  his  license,  and  we  have 
the  paper  he  signed." 

Ephraim  set  his  teeth  hard  together  and 
kept  silence.  He  said  to  himself  that  he  might 
have  known  that  the  rascals  "would  be  clever 
enough  to  make  the  tie  secure. 

Susannah  wept  on,  not  loudly,  but  with 
long  convulsive  sighs  that  broke  into  the  tears 
she  was  endeavouring  to  check. 

"  And,  Ephraim,  my  husband  is  good — 
oh,  very  good,  and  very  kind  to  me,  and  up 
to  last  night  I  thought  that  what  he  believed 
might  be  true.  I  was  not  sure,  but  I  thought 
that  Joseph  Smith  might  be  a  prophet.  I 
knew  they  were  far,  far  better  than  the  other 
people  who  despise  them,  and  so  I  was  glad 
to  be  with  them;  and  up  till  last  night  "  (she 
repeated  the  words,  controlling  herself  to  give 
them  emphasis) — "  up  till  last  night  I  thought 
that  they  at  least  believed  everything  they 
said  to  be  true." 

Then,  after  an  interval  of  unthinking  pain, 
Ephraim  perceived  that  if  he  had  come  under 
a  mistaken  belief,  he  had  at  least  come  at 
the  right  moment;  if  the  bond  of  her  mar 
riage  held,  the  bond  of  her  delusion  was 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  119 

broken;  she  had  detected  some  fraud.  His 
hope,  dazed  by  one  blow,  now  began  to  look 
through  the  circumstance  more  clearly.  If 
he  could  lead  her  to  renounce  the  religion  in 
which  she  had  apparently  ceased  to  believe, 
and  persuade  her  to  return  to  his  father's  roof, 
the  Mormon  husband  himself  might  seek  the 
dissolution  of  the  marriage.  Therefore  Ephra- 
im  made  no  comment  on  what  had  passed, 
but  asked  gently,  "  What  of  last  night, 
Susy?  " 

With  a  great  effort  she  stood  up,  brush 
ing  away  her  tears,  brushing  back  with  both 
hands  the  hair  that  had  fallen  about  her  face. 
In  the  shock  which  Ephraim's  proposal  had 
given,  in  the  brief  interval  of  her  tears,  she 
had  realised  as  never  before  that  she  could 
not  shake  off  her  duty  to  Angel  as  she  had 
thought  to  shake  off  his  creed.  She  spoke 
tremblingly. 

"  Ephraim,  you  are  so  good  that  you  are 
above  us  all.  You  live  in  some  higher  place. 
You  would  have  made  this  great  sacrifice  to 
help  me."  (She  never  doubted  that  Ephra 
im's  proposal  had  been  born  in  self-abnega 
tion.)  "  Surely  you  can  tell  me  what  to  do, 
for  I  am  in  great  distress;  but  I  want  you 
first  to  remember  that  my  husband  is  good, 
and  that  he  loves  me  more  than  all  the  world, 
more  than  everything  except  God,  and  if  he 
has  told  me  a  lie  now,  it  must  have  been  be 
cause  he  thought  to  save  my  soul  by  it,  but 
I  think — I  think  that  the  lie  could  not  have 

9 


120  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

been  his.  I  think  it  must  have  been  Joseph 
Smith's."  She  spoke  very  wistfully. 

"  What  was  it?  "  he  asked  again,  tender 
of  the  shock  she  had  received,  yet  still  confi 
dent  that  it  would  be  his  part  to  widen  this 
breach. 

Looking  down  with  burning  cheeks,  she 
told  him  what  Halsey's  story  about  Newell 
Knight's  levitation  had  been.  She  remem 
bered  it  quite  clearly  and  told  it  baldly. 

Before  she  finished  it  she  heard  him  mut 
ter  below  his  breath  that  it  was  very  strange. 
She  was  surprised  at  his  tone  of  perplexity. 

"  It  is  very  strange  to  me,"  she  cried,  "  be 
cause  I  know  my  husband,  and  up  till  now  he 
has  been  so  upright  and,  except  that  he  be 
lieved  in  Joseph  Smith,  so  sensible  and  wise." 

"  And  is  this  all?  "  asked  Ephraim.  "  If 
it  were  not  for  this,  would  you  be  content 
to  go  on  as  before?  " 

He  had  begun  to  walk  slowly  on  with  the 
horse,  and  she  too  walked.  After  she  had  an 
swered  him  the  long  silence  became  oppres 
sive,  and  she  knew  that  Ephraim  was  suffer 
ing  to  a  degree  that  she  could  not  understand. 
At  length  when  he  did  speak  his  words  were 
most  unexpected. 

He  was  looking  toward  the  rising  sun, 
which  was  still  dim  and  flushed  with  the 
autumn  haze.  "  The  Christ  whom  we  all  wor 
ship,"  he  began  abruptly,  "  each  in  our  differ 
ent  way,  called  himself  by  the  sacred  name 
of  Truth.  Does  he  desire,  do  you  think,  that 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  121 

we  must  worship  him  by  adhering  to  what 
we  know  to  be  fact,  no  matter  what  would 
seem  to  be  gained  by  slighting  facts?  It  is 
a  great  temptation  to  me  to  conceal  from  you, 
Susannah,  a  part  of  my  book  knowledge 
which  I  cannot  help  thinking  has  some  bear 
ing  upon  this  case— how  much  or  how  little 
I  do  not  know." 

He  walked  on  for  a  little  way,  and  at 
length,  with  a  great  sigh,  he  began  to  speak 
again,  answering  her  first  appeal  for  advice. 

"  I  think  that  your  prophet  is  mad  or 
false,  that  his  Mormonism  is  utter  folly,  but 
you  knew  that  I  thought  that  long  ago.  As 
to  this  story  your  husband  has  told  you,  I  am 
bound  to  say  that  it  has  happened  before  in 
the  world's  history  many  times  that  men  have 
seen,  or  thought  they  saw,  a  man  rise  into 
the  air.  In  my  opinion  it  is  not  the  indica 
tion  of  a  sound  mind  when  men  see  such 
things,  and  I  feel  sure  that  such  a  phenome 
non,  fact  or  delusion,  whatever  it  may  be,  can 
not  bear  any  relation  to  the  religious  life.  My 
advice  to  you  is — ah,  Susannah,  I  can  say  it 
truly  in  the  sight  of  God  and  of  my  own  con 
science — my  advice  to  you  is  to  be  quit  of 
such  men  and  such  scenes,  but  I  dare  not  keep 
back  from  you  the  truth  that  this  one  story, 
so  far  from  lessening  my  confidence  in  your 
husband's  probity  or  in  Smith's,  has  rather 
increased  it;  for,  being  very  ignorant  men, 
they  could  not  have  heard  of  these  stories  that 
I  have  told  you,  for  I  have  read  them  only 


122  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

in  rare  books;  that  they  have  reproduced  the 
same  incident  seems  rather  to  prove  that  they 
have  by  accident  stumbled  upon  the  same  fact 
— whether  a  dizziness  of  the  eyes,  or  an  af 
fection  of  the  brain,  or  an  actual  counteraction 
of  gravity,  I  cannot  tell." 

She  listened,  drinking  in  each  slow  word. 
After  all,  then,  to-day  was  just  like  yesterday, 
and  that  which  she  had  to  decide  was  as  to 
the  reasonableness  of  the  whole  new  doctrine, 
as  to  her  willingness  to  live  among  such  scenes 
and  such  men. 

There  had  been  no  sudden  madness  or  de 
ceit  to  give  her  reason  for  sudden  revolt  (per 
haps  her  heart  said  excuse  instead  of  reason). 

Ephraim  had  grown  very  pale.  After  he 
had  watched  her  for  a  while,  he  said  with  a 
sad  smile,  "  You  will  not  come  home  with  me 
to-day,  Susannah?  " 

"  I  must  think  over  all  this  again,  Ephra 
im.  I  don't  know  how  these  things  can  be, 
but  what  you  admit  is  very  strange/' 

He  knew  from  her  tone  that  the  die  was 
cast;  he  had  no  heart  to  discuss  the  laws  that 
govern  marvels. 

"  If  at  any  time,  any  hour  of  the  day  or 
night,  you  should  wish  to  come  to  us,  Susan 
nah,  the  door  is  open." 

"  You  have  been  very  kind,  Ephraim. 
There  is  not  much  use  in  my  trying  to  say 
anything  about  how  good  you  are,  but — " 
She  stopped,  thinking  of  her  recovered  confi 
dence  in  his  character  and  her  husband's;  in 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  123 

this  thought  she  experienced  an  elevation  of 
the  spirits,  a  new  hopefulness,  which,  after  the 
dreary  blank  of  the  morning's  outlook,  was 
like  sunshine  after  rain.  With  this  elevation 
the  religious  habit  of  thought  which  she 
had  learned  from  Halsey  intermingled.  "  O 
Ephraim,"  she  cried,  "  I  believe  that  God  sent 
you  to  give  me  back  my  faith." 

He  had  nothing  more  to  say  after  that. 
He  rode  away  leaving  her  standing  upon  the 
tawny  carpet  of  the  fallen  leaf,  standing  in  the 
pink  sunshine  under  naked  trees,  and  look 
ing  after  him  with  tears  of  gratitude  in  her 
eyes.  Ephraim  looked  back  once,  but  not 
again. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

WHEN  Susannah  was  returning  from  her 
parting  with  Ephraim  Croom,  she  found  Jo 
seph  Smith  was  walking  slowly  upon  the  road 
not  far  from  John  Biery's  hotel.  He  was  hold 
ing  a  small  book  open  before  his  eyes,  con 
ning  a  lesson,  repeating  the  words  aloud  again 
and  again  as  a  schoolboy  might. 

"  It  has  been  given  to  me  to  see  that  the 
Lord  hath  need  of  the  learning  of  this  world, 
Mrs.  Halsey.  When  I  have  got  the  Latin 
and  the  Greek,  I  shall  try  to  find  some  man 
who  can  teach  me  the  Egyptian  language, 
that  I  may  know  how  far  the  ancient  Egyp 
tian  from  which  I  translated  the  Book  differs 
therefrom." 

Susannah  had  expected  to  find  him  ex 
cited  after  the  events  of  the  past  night,  but 
instead  he  was  intent  only  upon  committing 
a  portion  of  the  Latin  grammar  to  memory, 
learning  by  rote  as  children  did  in  those  days. 

"  My  husband  told  me,"  she  began.  She 
stood  in  awe  of  Smith,  hardly  knowing  how 
to  express  herself  to  him;  then  she  went  on, 
almost  roughly,  "  I  don't  see  how  Newell 
Knight  could  have  gone  up  in  the  air  and 
124 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  125 

come  down  again;  it  does  not  seem  to  me 
sensible." 

He  clasped  his  hands  behind  his  back,  his 
large  thumb  holding  his  place  open  in  the 
lesson-book,  and  walked  beside  her,  his  head 
bent  somewhat  forward  in  reverie. 

"  I  am  often  much  taken  aback  at  what 
happens  to  me  now,  Mrs.  Halsey,  but  I  do 
declare  to  ye  that  that  was  the  greatest  won 
der  I  ever  saw  before  my  eyes;  and  it's  given 
to  me  to  see  that  ye've  got  the  same  sort  of 
difficulty  about  him  as  it's  natural  for  me  to 
have."  He  began  to  lapse  in  his  own  dialect. 
"  Ye  want  to  see  the  reason  why  of  things. 
Well,  I  tell  ye,  I've  just  got  down  to  this 
point,  that  I've  give  up  tryin'  to  see  why.  If 
ye  come  to  that,  why  was  I  chosen  to  lead 
this  people?  I  tell  ye  when  the  words  of  the 
interpretation  of  the  Book  began  to  pour 
through  my  mind,  and  I'd  no  power  to  stop 
them,  and  I  just  felt  as  if  I  could  cry  like  a 
baby  when  I  couldn't  get  any  one  to  write  'em 
down — I  tell  ye,  I  used  often  to  ask  why. 
But  it  ain't  no  use.  What  I've  got  to  do  is 
jest  to  get  hold  of  the  guiding  that  comes  to 
me  as  clear  as  I  can,  and  jest  walk  straight 
along  those  lines." 

She  was  returning  with  a  heart  bruised 
with  the  pain  of  the  recent  colloquy  at  part 
ing,  but  full  too  of  purpose,  feeling  that  she 
owed  it  to  Ephraim  to  reconsider  the  evidence 
for  Smith's  prophetical  claim.  She  glanced 
shrewdly  at  him  as  he  walked  and  spoke — 


126  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

young,  blue-eyed,  large,  and  mild.  The  man 
seemed  to  her  harder  to  comprehend  if  his 
word  was  disbelieved  than  if  it  was  believed. 
On  either  supposition  her  understanding  fal 
tered. 

"  It  is  very  hard  for  me  to  believe  these 
things,  Mr.  Smith.  It  is  very  hard  for  me 
to  believe,  for  instance,  about  the  gold  plates. 
How  could  they  appear  only  to  you  and  van 
ish  again?  It  doesn't  seem  to  me  reasonable." 

"  No  more  is  it  reasonable,  but  lots  of 
things  in  the  Bible  is  as  lacking  in  reason,  like 
the  sheet  that  appeared  to  Peter  with  beasts. 
But  about  the  plates,  I'll  tell  you  just  how  it 
was,  even  though  it's  not  just  the  way  other 
folks  has  got  hold  of  it.  This  is  the  truth, 
and  you  can  think  how  hard  it  was  to  put  it 
much  straighter  to  folks  who  didn't  believe 
in  me  then  as  they  do  now.  The  night  that 
the  angel  came  down  three  times  and  stood 
at  the  foot  of  my  bed,  and  told  me  to  go  and 
get  the  plates  and  where  they  were  to  be 
found,  my  brain  just  seemed  to  go  on  fire. 
I  could  see  things  I  never  saw  any  other  time. 
Why,  that  night  I  saw  through  the  wooden 
wall  and  into  the  next  room,  just  as  if  there 
hadn't  been  any  boards  there,  and  I  saw  all 
the  air  about  me  full  of  motes,  just  as  they 
are  in  that  sunbeam,  and  it  was  dark  to  other 
people.  I  could  hear,  too,  the  cocks  crow 
ing  and  dogs  barking  for  miles  round;  and 
when  morning  came  I  got  up  and  looked  out, 
and  it  was  as  if  I  had  my  eyes  to  a  telescope. 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  127 

I  could  see  the  houses  for  miles  and  miles.  I 
ran  up  the  hill  and  worked  into  the  hole,  and 
there  I  saw  the  plates,  just  as  the  angel  had 
said.  I'll  never  forget  to  my  dying  day  just 
what  they  looked  like,  and  the  sort  of  writing 
they  had.  I  took  them  up  and  covered  them 
up  as  the  angel  had  said,  and  I  carried  them 
home  and  hid  them,  and  told  my  folks.  That 
night  I  was  an  awful  sick  man,  and  the  sick 
ness  was  on  me  for  some  days,  and  when  I 
looked  again  at  the  plates  they  just  looked 
like  bricks,  but  the  angel  told  me  that  they 
were  really  the  gold  plates  with  the  writing 
I  remembered  on  them,  but  were  changed  lest 
any  one  should  see  them  and  die.  And  I  was 
to  keep  them  hidden.  I  know  that  it  was  true 
they  were  the  plates  by  these  two  signs;  first 
ly,  whenever  I  hid  myself  and  took  the  bricks 
in  my  hand,  the  words  of  the  Book  of  Mor 
mon  came  pouring  through  my  mind,  so  I 
was  like  to  cry  out  if  I  couldn't  get  some  one 
to  write  them  down;  and  Cowdery  he  did  it 
and  believed,  and  Martin  Harris  he  heard  me 
at  the  dictation  and  he  believed,  and  likewise 
the  Whitmers.  And  the  second  proof  is  that 
after  I  had  buried  the  bricks  by  command, 
and  we  was  far  away  from  the  place  where 
they  lay,  Martin  Harris  and  Cowdery  and 
David  Whitmer  saw  the  plates,  the  very  same 
as  I  had  told  them;  they  were  floating  in  the 
air  at  the  time  of  prayer." 

"  But,  Mr.  Smith,  St.  Peter  saw  the  sheet 
in  a  dream;  there  isn't  anything  in  the  Bible 


128  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

about  things  or  people  floating  in  the  air  when 
people  are  awake." 

"  Well,  I  don't  know,  sister,  about  that. 
There  was  Philip  when  he  finished  baptism' 
the  African.  Ye  see,  in  going  to  Azotus  he 
must  have  gone  up  before  he  went  along,  or 
he'd  have  struck  agen  the  trees;  and  our 
brother  Newell,  not  being  as  good  as  Philip, 
and  not  having  as  much  faith,  ye  see,  he  jest 
began  to  go  and  had  to  come  back  again. 
Mebbe  when  he's  engaged  in  the  work  for  a 
year  or  two  he'll  become  an  apostle  too.  Did 
ye  never  think,  Sister  Halsey,  that  Providence 
might  take  us  up,  intending  to  do  great  things 
with  us,  and  jest  have  to  set  us  down  because 
we  hadn't  learned  to  have  faith  enough?  " 

This  spiritual  significance  of  the  episode 
of  Newell  Knight  had  not  occurred  to  Susan 
nah  before.  It  touched  her  own  case. 

He  went  on.  "  When  I  think  of  the  fu 
ture  that  is  opening  before  us,  Sister  Halsey 
— why,  when  I  think  of  how  all  the  nations 
are  to  be  gathered  in — there's  persecutions  in 
store,  and  we  must  be  tried  by  fire,  but  there's 
riches  and  honour  and  blessing  for  those  as 
shall  be  steadfast;  and  it's  borne  in  upon  me 
that  the  Kingdom  shall  be  set  up  in  the  west 
of  this  land."  He  turned  and  looked  at  her, 
becoming  elevated  in  mind  and  rising  again 
into  finer  language.  "  And  the  men  that  are 
like  unto  thy  husband,  and  have  the  single 
eye  to  believe  and  obey  the  word  of  the  Lord, 
shall  become  as  princes,  dispensing  bread  to 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  129 

the  hungry,  and  the  water  of  life  to  them  that 
are  athirst;  and  the  beautiful  women  who  fail 
not  but  continue  faithful,  shall  be  as  princesses 
driving  behind  white  horses  and  wearing  silk 
en  robes,  and  comforting  the  sick  in  their  sick 
ness,  and  welcoming  the  women  of  the  na 
tions  as  they  come  from  distant  lands,  teach 
ing  them  that  which  is  good "  He  drew 

his  breath,  as  if  about  to  say  more  and  yet 
larger  words,  but  remained  silent,  looking 
upon  the  open  space  of  the  fields.  Then  his 
mien,  which  had  become  enlarged,  contracted 
somewhat,  as  if  the  vision  were  past. 

"  Why,  Mrs.  Halsey,  when  I  do  think  of 
it,  it  seems  as  if  one  day  at  a  time  were'nt 
enough,  and  as  if  I  couldn't  just  set  myself 
to  get  the  Latin  and  the  Greek,  and  preach 
just  to  a  few  folks  and  help  a  person  that's 
needing  a  bit  of  help;  but  it's  borne  right  in 
here  upon  me  that  what  we  need  is  the  learn 
ing  of  the  world,  otherwise  called  the  wisdom 
of  the  serpent.  I  never  was  a  great  hand  to 
learn,  and  father  he  didn't  make  me,  so  it 
comes  harder  now;  but  I'll  see  to  it  that  the 
young  ones  of  our  folks  shall  take  to  learning 
mighty  early;  and  what  we  want  is  to  be  faith 
ful  in  small  things,  and  not  stumble  in  our 
faith  if  now  and  then  a  man  do  rise  into  the 
air." 

She  felt  his  blue  eyes,  mild  but  shrewd, 
meeting  hers  as  he  came  to  this  last  item. 

"  Sister,  'twas  given  to  me  to  know  the 
first  time  as  I  saw  you  that  there  was  a  great 


130  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

work  for  you  to  do  in  comforting  and  estab 
lishing  the  elect,  and  it  comes  to  me  now  that 
you'd  better  be  getting  some  more  education, 
for  although  I  suffer  not  a  woman  to  teach, 
yet  she  may  establish  that  which  is  already 
taught." 

Inclined  to  put  some  question  that  would 
bring  out  more  definite  instruction  as  to  her 
own  special  function  in  the  Church,  she  did 
not  notice  two  men  who  were  approaching 
from  the  other  side  in  a  gig  until  they  were 
close  upon  them. 

One  of  these  was  a  well-to-do  farmer,  the 
brother  of  a  woman  who  had  recently  been 
converted  at  one  of  Smith's  meetings.  Now 
he  was  breathing  out  revenge.  He  sprang 
to  the  ground,  striking  at  Smith  with  a  heavy 
whip.  Susannah  saw  the  mildness  of  the 
prophet's  eye  turn  into  a  sharp  glitter.  She 
realised  that  he  was  not  afraid,  although  when 
the  other  man  also  sprang  upon  him  there 
was  not  the  least  doubt  but  that  he  must  be 
worsted  in  such  an  assault. 

In  the  minute  that  Smith  was  wrestling 
with  the  farmer  for  the  possession  of  the  whip, 
Susannah  wrung  her  hands  in  an  agony  and 
ran  forward  toward  the  hotel,  screaming  aloud 
for  help;  then,  afraid  of  what  might  befall  in 
her  absence,  she  ran  back.  By  this  time  the 
two  men  had  thrown  Smith  down.  Even  then 
he  showed  his  strength,  for  they  struggled 
hard  to  get  the  whip,  which  he  had  seized 
from  them. 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  131 

In  her  storm  of  feeling  Susannah  for  the 
first  time  came  out  from  the  habits  of  girlish 
timidity.  Hardly  knowing  what  she  said, 
what  she  was  about  to  say,  she  heard  the 
words  of  her  own  fierce  indignation  ring  out 
on  the  air  of  the  mild  autumn  morning.  The 
scene — the  bare  road-,  the  sere  weeds  and 
grasses,  the  prostrate  prophet,  the  flushed 
faces  of  the  two  burly  countrymen  upturned 
to  hers  as  they  stooped,  crushing  him  down 
— all  was  photographed  on  her  mind  by  ex 
citement. 

By  the  intensity  of  her  upbraiding  she  ar 
rested  the  attention  of  Smith's  enemies  for  a 
minute  till,  as  if  he  revolted  against  his  own 
weakness,  one  of  them  gave  vent  to  a  loud 
jest,  at  which  the  other  laughed. 

The  words  meant  nothing  to  Susannah, 
nothing  more  than  the  Latin  words  of  the 
lesson-book  that  lay  torn  and  muddy  at  her 
feet,  but  Smith  no  sooner  heard  them  than 
he  hurled  himself  from  the  ground  with  al 
most  superhuman  strength. 

Both  men  were  forced  in  self-defence  to 
close  upon  him.  Smith  shouted  aloud,  al 
though  a  hand  on  his  throat  almost  choked 
him,  "  Go  to  the  hotel,  Mrs.  Halsey;  go  in 
to  your  husband."  Susannah  knew  now  that 
he  was  fighting  for  her,  not  for  himself;  the 
allegiance  of  his  glance  gave  her  a  thrill  of 
loyalty  to  him  which  was  wholly  new. 

Two  men  ran  out  from  the  hotel,  and  be 
hind  them  John  Biery.  When  they  neared 


132  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

the  place  the  farmer  and  his  accomplice  got 
into  their  gig  and  called  back  fierce  threats 
against  Smith  as  they  went.  John  Biery  was 
a  constable,  yet,  although  he  saw  that  Smith 
had  been  brutally  assaulted,  he  made  no  at 
tempt  to  pursue  and  capture  the  offenders. 
The  other  men  contented  themselves  with 
picking  up  his  hat  and  book  and  remarking 
that  the  men  that  had  run  away  hadn't  had 
no  sort  of  right,  and  that  Smith  ought  to  have 
the  law  on  them.  Susannah  was  the  more 
enraged  by  this  refusal  to  interfere. 

Smith  wiped  his  face  from  dust  and  blood. 
It  pleased  Susannah's  love  of  dignity  to  ob 
serve  that  when  he  spoke  it  was  not  in  impo 
tent  wrath. 

"  Go  in  to  your  husband,  Mrs.  Halsey, 
and  tell  him  to  rejoice  that  we  are  accounted 
worthy  to  suffer." 

That  was  not  exactly  the  news  that  Susan 
nah  did  bring  when  she  went  back  to  her  hus 
band's  room.  Her  feelings  were  so  upwrought 
that  it  was  some  time  before,  in  pouring  out 
to  Halsey  her  indignation,  she  could  find  re 
lief.  Whatever  might  or  might  not  be  the 
truth  of  Smith's  heart,  it  remained  true  that 
in  this  persecution  the  many  were  ranged 
against  the  few,  and  were  lashing  each  other 
on  by  false  reports  to  lawless  brutality.  Like 
the  Psalmist,  Halsey  led  her  as  it  were  into 
the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  pointed  out  the 
end  of  the  wicked  and  the  award  of  the  right 
eous.  He  added  to  the  then  popular  notion 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  133 

of  external  reward  thoughts  which  had  been 
working  in  his  own  mind  under  the  influence 
of  that  time-spirit  which  leads  such  minds  as 
his  in  the  foremost  paths.  He  spoke  to  her 
of  the  strength  of  character  gained  and  lost 
by  all  that  was  done  and  suffered  in  the  right 
way  or  in  the  wrong. 

Susannah  was  soothed.  She  knew  that 
the  truth  was  being  spoken  to  her,  and  her 
heart  leaped  forth  to  do  reverence,  not  only 
to  it,  but  to  the  man  who  could  find  it  in  the 
midst  of  such  insults.  Ephraim  was  good. 
If  he  could  only  know  how  good  Angel  was, 
he  would  not  have  asked  her  to  return.  All 
thought  of  deserting  the  new  cause  now  was 
gone;  the  blood  that  had  trickled  from  Smith's 
bruised  head,  the  danger  that  menaced  Hal- 
sey,  sustained  her.  She  wrote  to  Ephraim  to 
that  effect. 

Some  days  after,  when  driving  past  Biery's 
hotel  from  a  meeting  he  had  been  holding  in 
the  town  of  Geneva,  Joseph  Smith  entered 
and  laid  before  Susannah  books  for  the  culti 
vation  of  her  mind — a  Latin  grammar  and  ex 
ercise  book  like  his  own,  a  Universal  History, 
and  a  primer  of  Natural  Philosophy.  He  told 
her  that  in  two  weeks,  when  she  had  mastered 
their  contents,  he  would  bring  her  others. 
He  left  hastily,  the  business  of  the  Church 
pressing. 

In  his  idea  it  seemed  that  the  rudiments 
of  a  language  would  take  no  longer  to  ac 
quire  than  the  contents  of  an  English  book 


I34  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

written  in  a  popular  style.  The  man  was  very 
ignorant  of  the  things  that  most  men  know, 
but  possibly  no  other  man  in  the  world  would 
have  known  that  writing  Latin  exercises 
would  bring  contentment  to  Susannah's  heart. 
There  was  nothing  in  such  a  request  to  awake 
suspicion  and  antagonism,  and  there  was 
much  in  the  regular  mental  exercise  to  keep 
her  mind  from  brooding  on  its  scepticism  or 
upon  Ephraim's  kindness.  As  a  child  sits 
down  to  an  intricate  game,  she  sat  down,  day 
after  day,  to  her  lesson.  Soon  the  stimulus 
of  knowing  that  the  prophet  had  actually  mas 
tered  his  grammar  in  two  weeks  wrought  the 
determination  not  to  lag  very  far  behind.  Her 
husband,  who  had  had  fair  schooling,  helped 
her. 

There  began  to  be  a  strange  race  between 
the  prophet  and  Susannah  for  the  acquisition 
of  knowledge.  They  learned  out  of  all  sorts 
of  lesson-books,  not  on  any  sound  principle 
of  work,  but  with  avidity. 

Susannah  was  the  only  woman  in  the  new 
sect  to  whom  Joseph  Smith  gave  the  com 
mandment  to  become  learned.  She  was  not 
impervious  to  this  subtle  flattery.  Rude  and 
poor  as  he  was,  Smith  was  now  spiritual  dic 
tator  to  a  large  number  of  souls,  and  she  saw 
that  from  herself  he  sometimes  asked  counsel. 
Parted  from  Ephraim,  having  grown  accus 
tomed  to  a  husband  with  whom  self-repres 
sion  was  one  of  life's  first  laws,  it  was  not  sur 
prising  that  under  Smith's  suggestion  a  new 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 


'35 


phase  of  life  began  in  which  her  understand 
ing,  not  her  heart,  developed.  "  Why  believe 
in  Moses  and  the  prophets  if  not  in  Smith — 
in  the  miracles  of  yesterday  if  not  in  those 
of  to-day?  "  was  the  question  with  which  Hal- 
sey  prefaced  the  sermons  he  began  to  preach. 
The  answer  that  his  logic  deduced  carried 
conviction  to  many  of  his  hearers,  but  in 
Susannah's  mind  the  question  alone  made 
way. 


10 


BOOK   21. 


CHAPTER   I. 

IN  the  next  year,  1831,  the  new  church 
was  formally  organised,  and  this  was  the 
"  revelation  "  given  for  her  direction  by  the 
mouth  of  Joseph  Smith — "  And  now,  behold, 
I  speak  unto  the  Church;  thou  shalt  not  kill; 
thou  shalt  not  steal;  thou  shalt  not  lie;  thou 
shalt  love  thy  wife,  cleaving  unto  her  and  to 
none  else;  thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery; 
thou  shalt  not  speak  evil  of  thy  neighbour, 
nor  do  him  any  harm.  Let  him  that  goeth 
to  the  East  tell  them  that  shall  be  converted 
to  flee  to  the  West." 

The  reports  of  the  first  missionaries,  who 
had  travelled  westward,  preaching  both  to  the 
Indians  (called  by  the  "  Saints,"  Lamanites) 
and  to  white  men,  were  received  in  the  be 
ginning  of  this  year,  and  the  point  designated 
for  the  first  station  of  the  Church  on  its  way 
westward  was  a  place  called  Kirtland,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Chagrin  River,  in  northern  Ohio. 
Thither  Halsey  was  sent,  having  commands 
to  preach  by  the  way. 
136 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  137 

At  Halsey's  wayside  meetings  the  old 
hymns  and  the  old  tunes  were  sung.  The 
new  doctrine  embraced  all  that  was  supposed 
to  be  alive  in  the  old;  it  repudiated  only  what 
was  supposed  to  be  dead.  It  offered  that  en 
largement  of  human  powers  which  the  belief 
in  wonders  implies,  a  new  form  of  church  gov 
ernment,  a  new  land  to  live  in,  a  new  hope  of 
a  visible  and  glorious  church,  and,  above  all, 
a  living  prophet.  If  the  personality  of  the 
prophet  seemed  more  attractive  to  those  who 
believed,  not  having  seen  him,  to  Susannah, 
who  knew  the  baseness  of  his  origin  so  well, 
the  sudden  increase  of  his  influence  over  hun 
dreds  of  people  seemed  the  greatest  of  mar 
vels;  and  it  was  impossible  but  that  even  his 
person  should  gain  some  added  grace  from 
the  reflected  light  of  success.  Halsey  was 
only  one  of  a  dozen  successful  Mormon 
preachers  who  were  converging  with  their 
train  of  followers  upon  the  first  station  of  the 
new  church. 

There  is  no  spot  in  northern  Ohio  more 
lovely  than  the  five  hills  or  bluffs  that  rise 
from  the  banks  of  the  Chagrin  River  and  its 
tributary  brooks  twelve  miles  to  the  south 
east  of  what  is  now  the  city  of  Cleveland.  On 
the  shores  of  the  river  and  its  streams  lie 
green  levels;  from  these  the  bluffs  rise  steeply 
for  some  one  or  two  hundred  feet  to  table 
lands  of  great  fertility. 

The  site  for  the  first  Mormon  temple  was 
on  the  highest  of  these  hills  overlooking  the 


138  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

three  valleys.  Its  foundations  were  quickly 
laid.  Around  it  upon  the  slope  and  table 
land,  up  and  down  the  valleys,  and  upon  the 
opposite  hills,  the  wooden  houses  of  the  con 
verts  began  to  spring  up,  not  unlike  in  col 
our  to  a  crop  of  mushrooms,  and  very  like 
in  the  suddenness  of  their  growth. 

Not  long  after  Susannah  and  Halsey  had 
reached  Kirtlancl,  Joseph  Smith,  with  a  con 
vert  named  Rigdon,  went  on,  with  mission 
aries  who  were  travelling  farther  west,  in 
order  to  find  in  the  wilderness  the  place  that 
was  appointed  for  the  building  of  Zion  or 
the  New  Jerusalem.  At  the  same  time  all 
those  men  among  the  converts  who  were 
deemed  fit  were  sent  out  in  couples  to  preach 
the  new  Gospel,  some  back  to  the  eastern 
States  whence  they  had  come,  some  to  Can 
ada,  some  to  the  south.  To  Joseph  Smith  it 
was  given  to  know  who  was  to  go  and  who 
to  stay.  Halsey  was  directed  to  remain,  to 
receive  and  establish  the  new  converts  who 
came,  to  tithe  their  property  for  the  building 
of  the  temple,  and  to  found,  according  to 
Smith's  direction,  a  school  of  the  prophets. 

"  And  to  thy  wife,  Susannah,  it  shall  be 
given  to  teach  the  children  such  worldly  learn 
ing  as  she  has  herself  acquired,  until  it  may 
be  possible  for  us  to  appoint  for  them  a  more 
learned  male  instructor." 

Joseph  Smith  spoke  these  words  in  the 
room  which  served  him  as  business  office 
and  chapel.  He  was  drawing  on  his  gloves, 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  139 

ready  to  go  forth  upon  the  journey  to  Mis 
souri. 

Several  of  the  elders  and  their  wives  were 
present,  some  busy  on  one  errand  and  some 
on  another.  Susannah,  being  with  Halsey, 
received  the  command  in  person,  although  it 
was  not  directly  addressed  to  her.  She  had 
observed  that  since  her  arrival  at  Kirtland 
the  prophet  never  addressed  himself  to  her  di 
rectly  when  in  public.  In  many  ways  his 
manners  were  becoming  gradually  more  for 
mal,  and  his  relapses  into  his  native  speech 
less  frequent. 

Susannah  could  not  criticise  keenly,  so 
much  she  marvelled  at  the  man.  His  activi 
ties  before  starting  on  this  journey  were  al 
most  incredible.  Every  hour  he  had  made 
decisions,  for  the  most  part  successful,  con 
cerning  the  adaptability  of  men  whom  he  had 
only  seen,  for  labours  of  which  he  knew  as 
little.  He  had  preached  continually.  He  had 
baptised  newcomers  in  the  icy  floods  of  the 
April  stream.  He  had  advised  as  to  the  choice 
of  lands  and  their  manner  of  cultivation,  as 
to  the  size  and  form  of  houses.  He  had  vis 
ited  the  sick  and  planned  merry-makings  for 
the  young.  In  addition  to  all  this,  even  while 
preparing  for  the  long  journey  into  an  un 
known  region,  he  was  busy  learning  three 
languages,  and  was  laying  plans,  not  only  for 
missionary  campaigns  that  were  to  spread 
over  the  whole  earth,  but  for  a  new  transla 
tion  of  the  Old  Testament.  If  the  better 


140  THE  MORMON    PROPHET. 

clothes  that  he  had  begun  to  wear  sat  some 
what  pompously  upon  him,  if  his  manners 
now  sometimes  indicated  an  attempt  not  only 
to  be,  but  to  appear,  a  prophet,  such  small 
affectations  sank  out  of  sight  in  the  light  of 
such  extraordinary  ability. 

After  Smith  and  Sydney  Rigdon  had 
started  westward,  Susannah  went  over  to  con 
sole  Emma.  The  prophet's  wife  was  at  that 
time  living  in  a  building  of  which  the  front 
part  was  the  general  store  whence  the  material 
needs  of  the  growing  church  were  as  far  as 
possible  provided.  Susannah  passed  through 
between  bales  of  cloths,  boxes,  and  barrels  of 
provisions.  It  was  dusk;  a  young  man  who 
served  in  the  store  carried  a  candle  before  her, 
and  the  odd-shaped  piles  of  merchandise 
threw  strange  moving  shadows  upon  the  low 
beams  of  the  roof  and  walls.  The  young  man 
held  the  candle  to  light  the  way  up  a  straight 
staircase.  "  Mis'  Smith,"  he  shouted,  "  here's 
Mis'  Halsey  come  to  see  you." 

At  the  top  of  the  staircase  Susannah  was 
met  by  a  cooing,  creeping  baby,  who  beat 
with  its  little  fist  upon  a  wicket  gate  fencing 
off  the  stair. 

"  It  was  the  last  thing  he  did  before  set 
ting  out,  to  nail  that  gate  together  and  fasten 
it  up  with  his  own  hands,  so  as  I  wouldn't 
need  always  to  be  running  after  the  young 
one,  lest  he  should  fall  down  the  stair."  It 
was  Emma  Smith  who  spoke;  she  emerged 
dishevelled  and  tearful  from  an  upper  room. 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  141 

"  When  he  has  so  much  to  think  about  and 
all,  and  Elder  Rigdon  waiting  for  him  at  the 
office  till  he'd  finished.  Mr.  Smith,  he's  al 
ways  so  kind,  and  he  knew  as  that  would  be 
the  thing  as  would  give  me  the  most  help  of 
anything." 

Emma  subsided  again  into  tears — tears 
that  were  the  more  touching  to  Susannah  be 
cause  Emma  was  not  like  most  women;  she 
seldom  wept. 

"  I  don't  mean  to  give  way,"  Emma  con 
tinued,  "  but  if  it  was  your  husband  as  had 
gone,  you'd  know  how  it  was,  and  it's  the 
first  time  I've  ever  been  separate  from  him 
so  long." 

Susannah  sat  down  with  the  child  in  her 
arms.  When  the  question  was  brought  home 
to  her  she  did  not  believe  that  temporary  sepa 
ration  from  Halsey  would  cause  her  tears. 

Emma  began  again  with  an  effort  at  self- 
control.  "  It's  a  long  way  to  Jackson  County, 
quite  across  Missouri.  It's  all  Elder  Rigdon's 
doing,  his  going  just  now." 

Susannah  found  something  that  she  could 
say  here  in  agreement.  "  It  may  be  wrong, 
but  I— I  don't  like  Elder  Rigdon." 

"  Well,  of  course  the  way  he  believed,  and 
all  his  congregation,  when  the  word  was  first 
preached  to  them  makes  Joseph  think  that 
he  must  be  full  of  grace.  Ye  know,  to  see 
Joseph  when  he's  quite  -by  himself,  ye'd  be 
surprised  to  see  how  desponding  he  is  by  na 
ture.  He's  that  desponding  he  was  real  sur- 


142  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

prised,  real  right  down  taken  by  surprise, 
when  he  heard  that  Mr.  Rigdon,  so  clever  a 
minister  as  he  was,  and  of  the  Campbellites 
too,  had  been  baptized  and  a  hundred  and 
twenty-seven  of  his  congregation  with  him. 
(That  was  first  off,  and  ye  know  how  many 
he's  brought  in  since.)  He  could  hardly  be 
lieve  it;  he  says,  '  It  seems  as  if  I  hadn't  any 
faith  at  all.'  And  that  night  he  couldn't  sleep, 
but  just  walked  up  and  down,  and  two  revela 
tions  came  to  him  before  morning,  and  one 
of  them  addressed  to  Rigdon,  so  Joseph 
knows  of  course  he's  got  the  right  thing  in 
him.  Then  his  education,  too;  he's  got  a 
sight  more  education  than  Cowdery.  Joseph 
thinks  a  deal  of  education." 

"  I  don't  like  him."  Susannah  sat  up 
right;  her  hands  were  busy  with  the  baby  upon 
her  knee. 

"  Well,  I  dunno."  Emma  spoke  medita 
tively.  "  It  said  in  one  of  Joseph's  revelations 
that  we  should  dwell  together  in  love." 

Susannah  laughed;  it  was  a  bright,  trilling 
laugh,  and  filled  the  large,  low  room  with  its 
sudden  music.  It  almost  seemed  like  a  light 
in  the  growing  darkness. 

"  I  guess  I'll  light  up,"  said  Emma,  "  it'll 
be  more  cheerful." 

Susannah  was  still  playing  with  the  baby, 
and  Emma  looked  at  her  critically.  "  Joseph 
thinks  a  great  deal*of  you,  Mrs.  Halsey;  he's 
told  ye  to  teach  school?  " 

"  I  have  got  more  time  than  most  of  the 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  143 

women,  and  my  husband  can  afford  to  hire  a 
school-room." 

"  'Tain't  that,"  said  Emma  decidedly,  "  it's 
the  same  thing  as  makes  ye  say  that  you  don't 
talk  to  any  of  the  other  folks  except  in  a 
civil  way.  Ye're  a  bit  above  all  the  rest  of  us 
ladies  in  the  way  ye  hold  yerself  and  the 
way  ye  speak.  I  guess  it  comes  of  yer 
father's  folks  having  been  somebody,  and 
then  being  so  clever  at  books — ye  see,  Joseph 
sees  all  that;  there  ain't  anything  that  he 
doesn't  see." 

Susannah  perceived  that  there  was  some 
thing  behind  this.  "  You're  not  vexed,  are 
you?  " 

Emma  continued  with  more  hesitation  in 
her  tones.  "  No,  I'm  not  vexed.  Why  should 
I  be?  And  besides  I  like  you  and  Mr.  Hal- 
sey  better  than  any  of  the  folks,  although  I 
couldn't  let  it  be  known." 

"  There's  something  that  you  are  thinking 
about." 

Emma  sighed  deeply;  her  mien  faltered; 
she  subsided  again  into  her  seat  by  the  wall 
and  into  tears.  "  It's  only  that  I  feel  that 
Joseph's  getting  to  be  such  a  great  man. 
Why,  there's  more  than  a  thousand  folks  now 
looking  to  him  all  the  time  to  be  told  what 
to  do,  and  thousands  more  drawing  in,  and 
Joseph  beginning  to  wear  the  kid  gloves 
whenever  he  goes  on  the  street." 

There  was  an  interval  of  sighs  and  sup 
pressed  sobs. 


I44  THE   MORMON   PROPHET. 

"  Aren't  you  glad?  I  thought  you  were 
glad  about  it." 

"  I  declare  papa  and  mamma  were  just 
wild  when  I  ran  away  and  married  Joseph, 
because  they  said  that  he  was  a  low  fellow, 
and  poor,  and  not  good  enough  for  me,  and 
now — and  now — I  begin  to  feel  that  I'm  not 
good  enough  for  him." 

Susannah  went  over  and  sat  beside  her, 
chiding  indignantly.  "  You  know  very  well 
that  nobody  could  be  the  same  help  to  him 
that  you  are,  and  you  know  very  well  that 
there's  nobody  in  the  world  that  he  thinks 
so  much  of  as  you."  She  did  not  say  all  she 
thought.  She  considered  Emma  to  be  Smith's 
superior,  but  that  opinion  would  have  given 
acute  pain. 

The  young  church  worked  upon  Smith's 
principles  of  thrift,  temperance,  and  co-opera 
tion,  and  Kirtland  rapidly  assumed  the  pro 
portions  of  a  town.  Susannah  became  the 
mistress  of  the  children's  school.  Smith  was 
a  good  economist;  although  he  helped  the 
needy,  nothing  that  his  converts  could  pay  for 
was  given  to  them  for  nothing.  Hence  it  was 
that  Susannah's  private  purse  was  well  filled 
with  tuition  fees. 

She  had  already  in  mind  what  she  would 
do  with  this  money;  she  would  write  to  the 
booksellers  in  Boston  who  fulfilled  Ephraim's 
orders,  and  obtain  from  them  some  of  the 
books  whose  names  she  remembered  to  have 
seen  on  his  shelves.  She  knew  nothing  of 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  145 

their  contents,  she  hardly  knew  whether  she 
wanted  them  more  for  the  sake  of  their  con 
tents  or  for  their  familiar  appearance,  but  she 
thought  that  if  she  did  not  understand  them 
when  reading,  she  could  write  to  Ephraim 
and  ask  for  an  explanation.  She  could  not 
think  of  any  other  excuse  for  writing  to  him 
again.  It  had  taken  her  a  good  many  months 
to  think  of  this  one. 

Halsey,  who  had  learned  to  drop  the 
Quaker  forms  of  speech  when  speaking  to 
others,  still,  moved  by  the  remembrances  of 
his  early  home,  used  them  in  speech  to  Susan 
nah.  He  inquired  somewhat  anxiously  con 
cerning  the  proposed  purchase. 

"  Dost  think  that  they  will  contain  what 
the  prophet  has  called  '  sound  learning/  and 
that  there  will  be  nothing  in  them  to  distract 
thy  soul?  " 

"  How  can  I  tell  when  I  do  not  know  what 
is  in  them?  "  She  did  not  speak  with  impa 
tience. 

"  Art  wise,  dear  heart,  in  this  longing?  " 
he  asked  wistfully. 

Then  he  carried  away  her  order  and  de 
spatched  it. 

In  the  meantime  Smith  had  returned  from 
Missouri,  his  mind  filled  and,  as  it  were,  en 
larged  by  the  new  land  which  he  said  was 
appointed  by  revelation  as  the  site  of  the  New 
Jerusalem.  Jackson  County,  on  the  south 
bank  of  the  Missouri  River,  was  the  place. 
He  had  already  gathered  four  or  five  hundred 


146  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

new  converts  there,  and  he  was  now  possessed 
with  the  desire  for  money  to  build  the  new 
city,  and  for  a  million  proselytes  to  dwell  in 
it.  In  spite  of  this,  after  sending  out  new  re 
lays  of  missionaries  in  all  directions,  he  settled 
down  to  the  most  sober  routine  of  study. 
Hebrew  was  the  new  language  he  wished  to 
acquire,  and  he  felt  the  call  to  revise  the  Old 
Testament. 


CHAPTER   II. 

ONLY  one  unusual  incident  occurred  in 
Susannah's  presently  peaceful  life.  One  day 
in  the  golden  October  she  set  out  to  walk 
some  distance  up  the  valley  of  the  Chagrin 
River.  The  object  of  the  walk  was  a  visit  to 
one  of  the  outlying  farmhouses  occupied  by 
a  family  of  the  Saints;  but  Susannah,  as  was 
her  wont,  found  more  joy  in  the  walk  than  in 
the  visit.  When  she  had  passed  beyond  the 
meeting  of  the  waters,  the  valley  lay  long  be 
fore  her,  about  a  mile  in  width  and  quite  flat. 
The  stream  was  scarcely  seen;  the  ground 
was  covered  with  flowery  weeds,  white  asters 
with  their  myriad  tiny  stars,  the  pale  seed 
feathers  of  the  golden  rod,  high  grasses,  and 
wild  things  innumerable  which  had  been 
turned  brown  and  gray  by  the  autumn  sun, 
pink  clumps  of  the  rice  weed,  and  small  groves 
of  the  scarlet  stalks  of  the  wild  buckwheat. 
This  level  sea  of  weeds  stood  so  high  that 
when  she  threaded  the  narrow  path  they 
reached  above  her  waist.  The  bees  in  the 
white  asters  were  humming  as  they  hum 
in  apple  bloom.  The  blue  jays  were  calling 
and  flying  in  low  horizontal  flights.  The  val- 

147 


148  THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  4 

ley  stretched  to  the  south-east,  then  curved; 
a  little  mountain  barred  the  view,  upon  whose 
pine-trees  the  distant  air  began  to  tinge  with 
blue.  On  the  curving  bluffs  on  either  side 
the  trees  stood  in  stately  crowds;  hardly  a 
leaf  had  fallen,  except  from  the  golden  walnut- 
trees;  the  colour  of  the  foliage  was  for  the 
most  part  like  the  plumage  of  some  green 
southern  bird,  iridescence  of  gold  and  red 
shot  through.  To  her  right,  where  a  part 
of  the  long  hill  had  been  cleared  of  trees,  the 
sun  shone  upon  bare  gullies  in  the  soap-stone 
cliffs,  making  the  colour  of  that  particular 
brown  bit  of  earth  very  vivid.  Everywhere 
a  soft  autumn  haze  was  lying,  and  above  white 
clouds  were  swinging  across  the  pale  blue 
sky. 

After  threading  the  valley  path  for  a  mile 
Susannah  was  ascending  the  bluff  to  get  to 
the  level  of  the  upper  farms,  when,  much  to 
her  surprise,  she  came,  as  once  before  upon 
the  hill  Cumorah,  upon  Joseph  Smith.  He 
was  lying  under  a  group  of  giant  walnut-trees, 
whose  boles  were  sheltered  from  the  road  by 
a  natural  hedge  of  red  dogwood  and  bram 
bles.  He  had  apparently  been  occupied  at 
his  devotions,  but  she  only  saw  him  arising 
hastily.  This  time  there  was  no  peep-stone; 
it  had  long  since  been  discarded.  The  prophet 
had  a  Bible  in  his  hand,  and  it  was  evident 
that  he  had  been  weeping.  It  was  in  those 
lands  the  habit  of  religious  men  of  all  sects 
to  make  oratories  of  the  woods.  Susannah's 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  149 

only  desire  was  to  pass  and  leave  him  undis 
turbed,  but  he  spoke. 

He  began  severely,  "  Sister  Susannah  Hal- 
sey,  it  is  not  meet  that  a  woman  should  stray 
so  far  from  home  and  without  companions." 

For  a  moment  Susannah  stood  abashed. 
Unaccustomed  to  censure,  she  supposed  that 
she  must  have  done  wrong.  "  I  have  walked 
this  way  before,"  she  began  meekly,  "  but 

if "  She  stopped  here,  her  own  judgment 

in  the  matter  beginning  to  assert  itself. 

The  prophet  had  forgotten  his  reproof. 
At  all  times  his  conversation  was  apt  to  re 
veal  that  sudden  changes  of  mental  phase  took 
place  within  him  apparently  without  conscious 
volition.  He  now  exclaimed  with  more  mod 
est  mien,  "  It  is,  no  doubt,  by  the  will  of  the 
Lord  that  you  are  come,  for  I  stood  in  sore 
need  of  comfort,  for  the  revelation  of  the 
truth  is  a  trial  hard  to  endure,  and  at  times 
very  bitter." 

"  Is  it? "  asked  Susannah  intently.  It 
was  impossible  but  that  her  long  curiosity 
should  find  some  vent,  and  yet  she  shrank  in 
wardly  from  her  own  prying. 

The  prophet  leaned  against  a  huge  bole. 
The  ground  at  his  feet  was  covered  with  yel 
low  walnut  leaves  and  the  olive-coloured  nuts. 
The  sunlight  fell  upon  him  in  patches  of  yel 
low  light.  He  opened  the  Bible,  turning  over 
the  leaves  of  the  Old  Testament  as  if  making 
a  rapid  survey  of  its  history  in  his  mind. 

"  Sister  Halsey,"   he  began,   "  when  the 


150  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

favour  of  the  Lord  rested  chiefly  upon  the 
Jewish  nation,  at  the  times  of  the  patriarchs 
and  David,  and  when  Solomon,  arrayed  in  all 
his  glory  and  in  the  greatness  of  his  wisdom, 
reigned  from  Dan  to  Beersheba,  mustn't  those 
have  been  the  times  when  the  people  walked 
most  closely  with  the  Lord?  " 

"  I  suppose  so,  Mr.  Smith." 

"  It  is  not  enough  to  suppose,  Sister  Hal- 
sey,  for  it  is  clearly  written  that  when  the  Jews 
went  contrary  to  the  will  of  the  Lord  they 
were  given  over  into  the  hands  of  their  ene 
mies." 

Susannah  endeavoured  to  give  a  more  un 
qualified  assent. 

"  Sister  Halsey,  there  has  come  to  my 
soul  in  reading  this  book  in  these  last  days 
a  word,  and  I  know  not  if  it  be  the  word  of 
the  Lord  or  no." 

She  saw  with  astonishment  that  his  whole 
frame  was  trembling  now.  She  began  to  real 
ise  that  he  was  truly  in  trouble,  whether  be 
cause  of  the  greatness  of  the  revelation  or  be 
cause  of  private  distress  she  could  not  tell. 
She  became  more  pitiful. 

"  I  hope  you  are  well,  Mr.  Smith,  and  that 
Emma  is  well.  There  is  nothing  to  really  dis 
tress  you,  is  there?  " 

In  hearing  the  increased  gentleness  of  her 
tone  he  seemed  to  find  a  more  easy  expres 
sion  for  his  pent-up  feeling.  "  It's  come  upon 
me  in  a  very  cutting  way,  truly  as  the  prophets 
said  like  a  two-edged  sword,  and  at  the  time 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  151 

too  when  I  was  inquiring  of  the  Lord  con 
cerning "  He  stopped  here,  and  she  felt 

that  his  manner  grew  more  confidential,  but 
he  did  not  look  at  her,  his  eyes  sought  the 
ground — "  concerning  a  matter  which  has 
given  me  no  little  heart  searching."  He 
stopped  again,  she  listening  with  a  good  deal 
of  interest. 

"  It's  come  to  me  to  observe  that  among 
the  chosen  people — there  ain't  no  gainsayin' 
it,  Sister  Halsey,  though  I  trust  you  to  be 
discreet  and  not  mention  the  matter,  but  in 
the  days  when  the  divine  favour  rested  on 
Israel  each  man  had  more  than  one  wife;  and 
the  Lord  Himself  says  He  give  them  to  Solo 
mon,  the  only  objection  being  to  heathen 
partners." 

"  Do  you  mean,  Mr.  Smith,  that  I'm  not 
to  mention  what  everybody  knows  already, 
that  in  the  Old  Testament  times  polygamy 
was  practised?  " 

The  now  entire  lack  of  sympathy  in  her 
tone  affected  him  as  an  intentional  act  of 
rudeness  would  affect  an  ordinary  man.  The 
tissue  of  his  mind,  which  had  relaxed  into  con 
fidence,  grew  visibly  firmer.  He  assumed  the 
teaching  tone. 

"  No,  Mrs.  Halsey,  the  only  thing  that 
I  asked  you  not  to  mention  was  that  I  had 
any  light  of  revelation  on  a  point  on  which 
most  of  our  minds  is  already  made  up." 

"  Mr.  Smith,  you  can't  possibly  be  in  the 
slightest  doubt  but  that  it  would  be  very 
ii 


152  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

wicked  for  any  man  now  to  have  more  than 
one  wife." 

"  I've  heard  a  great  many  of  the  ministers 
who  in  times  past,  in  the  time  of  our  bond 
age  we  heard  and  believed,  say  as  it  would 
be  very  wicked  for  any  one  nowadays  to  take 
God  at  His  word  and  expect  Him  to  do  a 
miracle  or  heal  the  sick;  but  I've  come  to 
the  conclusion,  Mrs.  Halsey,  that  it  isn't  a 
question  of  what  we  in  our  ignorance  and 
prejudice  might  think  wicked,  but  it's  a  ques 
tion  of  what's  taught  in  this  book,  looked  at 
without  the  eye  of  prejudice  and  tradition. 
What  we  call  civilisation  is  too  often  devilisa- 
tion — devilisation,  Mrs.  Halsey." 

He  tapped  the  book.  He  was  becoming 
oratorical.  "  The  idea  of  one  wife  came  in 
with  the  Romans.  'Twas  no  institution  of 
Jehovah,  Mrs.  Halsey." 

Susannah,  more  accustomed  to  his  ora 
torical  vein  than  to  private  conference,  be 
came  now  more  frank  and  at  ease. 

"  You  said  you  didn't  know  that  the  idea 
was  from  the  Lord,  Mr.  Smith,  and  I  don't 
think  it  is.  I  don't  think  you'll  entertain  it 
very  long,  and  I  don't  think,  if  you  did,  many 
of  the  Saints  would  stay  in  your  church." 

She  bade  him  good-day,  and  went  on  up 
the  slope.  When  she  was  walking  along  the 
brink  of  the  bluff  in  the  open  beyond  the  nut- 
trees  she  heard  him  call.  He  came  after  her 
with  hastened  gait,  Bible  still  in  hand.  She 
was  surprised  to  find  that  what  he  had  to  say 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  153 

was  very  simple,  but  not  the  less  dignified  for 
that. 

"  I  sometimes  think,  Sister  Halsey,  that 
you  look  down  on  us  all  as  if  we  weren't  good 
enough  for  you,  although  you're  too  kindly 
to  let  it  be  seen.  According  to  the  ways  of 
the  world,  of  course,  it's  so.  If  I'm  as  rough 
and  uneducated  as  most  of  our  folks,  at  least 
I  can  think  in  my  mind  what  it  would  be  not 
to  be  rough,  and  I  can  think  sometimes  how 
it  all  seems  to  you." 

His  words  appealed  directly  to  strong  pri 
vate  feeling  which  had  no  outlet.  While  she 
stood  seeking  a  reply  the  natural  power  that 
he  had  of  working  upon  the  feelings  of  others, 
vulgarly  called  magnetism,  so  far  worked  in 
connection  with  his  words  that  tears  came  to 
her  eyes. 

"I  don't  often  think  about  my  old  life," 
she  said  with  brief  pathos. 

Smith  was  looking  at  the  ground,  as  a 
huge,  shy  boy  might  stand  when  anxious  to 
express  sympathy  of  which  he  was  somewhat 
ashamed.  "  I  know  it  must  be  a  sort  of  abid 
ing  trial  to  you."  After  a  moment  he  added, 
"  I  wouldn't  like  to  make  it  worse  by  having 
you  think  that  I  was  goin'  to  preach  any 
strange  doctrine.  I'd  sometimes  give  a  good 
deal  if  the  Lord  would  raise  me  up  a  friend 
that  I  could  speak  to  concerning  the  lights 
that  come  to  me  that  I  know  that  it  wouldn't 
do  to  speak  of  in  the  public  congregations, 
because  of  their  upsetting  nature,  and  like- 


154  THE   MORMON   PROPHET. 

wise  because  I  doubt  concerning  their  mean 
ing.  And  of  this  matter  there  was  no  thought 
in  my  mind  to  speak  in  public,  for  it  is  for 
the  future  to  declare  whether  it  be  of  the  dark 
ness  or  of  the  light;  but  to  you  I  spoke,  al 
most  unwittingly,  and  perhaps  in  disobedi 
ence  to  the  dictates  of  wisdom." 

He  looked  at  her  wistfully. 

Susannah  leaned  her  arm  upon  the  top 
most  log  of  the  snake  fence  and  looked  down 
the  slope.  His  insight  into  her  own  trials 
caused  her  to  sympathise  with  him  in  spite  of 
his  absurdity.  She  made  an  honest  effort  to 
assist  him  to  self-analysis.  She  said,  "  A  great 
many  things  come  into  our  minds  at  times, 
Mr.  Smith,  that  seem  important,  but,  as  you 
say,  if  we  do  not  speak  about  them,  afterwards 
we  see  that  they  are  silly.  Of  course  with 
you,  if  you  think  some  of  your  thoughts  are 
revelations,  it  must  make  you  often  fancy  that 
the  others  may  be  very  important  too,  but  it 
does  not  follow  that  they  are,  and,  as  you  say, 
time  will  weed  them  out  if  you  are  trying  to 
do  right."  She  wondered  if  he  would  resent 
her  ifs.  She  stood  looking  down  the  bank 
in  the  short  silence  that  followed,  feeling 
somewhat  timorous.  The  steep  ground  was 
covered  with  the  feathery  sprays  of  asters, 
seen  through  a  velvety  host  of  gray  teasles 
which  grew  to  greater  height.  Through  the 
teasles  the  white  and  purple  flowers  showed 
as  colours  reflected  in  rippled  water — rich, 
soft,  vague  in  outline.  At  one  side,  by  an  old 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  155 

stump,  there  was  a  splendid  feather,  yellow 
and  green,  of  fading  golden  rod;  yellow  but 
terflies,  that  looked  as  if  they  had  dyed  their 
wings  in  the  light  reflected  from  this  flower, 
repeated  its  gold  in  glint  and  gleam  over  all 
the  gray  hillside,  shot  with  the  white  and  the 
blue.  At  the  foot  of  the  bank  lay  the  flat  val 
ley,  and  from  this  vantage  ground  the  river 
could  be  seen.  The  soft  musical  chat  of  its 
waters  ascended  to  her  ears,  and  among  the 
huge  bronze-leafed  nut-trees,  whose  shelter 
she  had  just  left,  the  woodpeckers  were  tap 
ping  and  whistling  to  one  another. 

At  length  Smith  sighed  deeply,  but  with 
out  affectation.  "  Yes,  I  reckon  that's  a  good 
deal  how  it  is.  It  ain't  easy,  Mrs.  Halsey — 
I  hope  in  your  thoughts  when  judgin'  of  me 
you'll  always  remember  that  it  ain't  easy  to 
be  a  prophet." 

When  he  had  gone,  Susannah  found  her 
self  laughing,  but  for  Halsey's  sake  the  laugh 
ter  was  akin  to  tears. 


CHAPTER  III. 

OHIO  was  being  quickly  settled.  Within 
a  few  miles  of  Kirtland,  Cleveland  and  Paynes- 
ville  were  rising  on  the  lake  shore,  and  to  the 
south  there  were  numerous  villages;  but  the 
society  of  the  Saints  at  Kirtland  was  especial 
ly  prosperous,  and  so  sudden  had  been  the 
increase  of  its  numbers  and  its  wealth  that 
the  wonder  of  the  neighbouring  settlers  gave 
birth  to  envy,  and  envy  intensified  their  reli 
gious  hatred.  Twice  before  Smith  had  left 
Fayette  he  had  been  arrested  and  brought  be 
fore  a  magistrate,  accused  of  committing 
crimes  of  which  the  courts  were  unable  to  con 
vict  him.  Now  the  same  spirit  gave  rise  to 
the  same  accusations  against  his  followers. 
About  this  time  webs  of  cloth  were  taken  from 
a  woollen  mill  near  Paynesville,  and  several 
horses  were  also  stolen.  The  Mormons, 
whether  guilty  or  not,  were  accused  by  com 
mon  consent  of  the  orthodox  and  irreligious 
part  of  the  community.  Hatred  of  the  ad 
herents  of  the  new  sect  began  to  rise  in  all 
the  neighbouring  country,  as  a  ripple  rises 
on  the  sea  when  the  wind  begins  to  blow; 
the  growing  wave  broke  here  and  there  in 
156 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  157 

little   ebullitions   of   wrath,   and   still   gained 
strength  until  it  bid  fair  to  surge  high. 

About  Christmas  time  there  were  a  num 
ber  of  cases  of  illness  in  Kirtland.  Joseph 
Smith  healed  one  woman,  who  appeared  to 
be  dying,  by  merely  taking  her  by  the  hand, 
after'praying,  and  commanding  her  to  get  up. 
After  that  he  went  about  with  great  confi 
dence  to  others  who  were  stricken,  and  in 
many  cases  health  seemed  to  return  with  re 
markable  celerity.  It  is  hard  to  understand 
why  the  report  of  this,  going  abroad  with 
such  addition  as  gossip  gives,  should  have 
greatly  added  to  the  rage  of  the  members  of 
other  religious  sects.  Perhaps  they  supposed 
that  the  prophet  arrogated  to  himself  powers 
that  were  even  more  than  apostolic.  They 
threatened  violence  to  Kirtland  on  the  proph 
et's  account,  so  that  before  the  new  year  he 
took  Emma  and  the  child  and  established  him 
self  with  them  in  an  obscure  place  called 
Hiram,  some  twenty  miles  to  the  south.  Syd 
ney  Rigdon,  who  by  this  time  was,  under  the 
prophet,  the  chief  leader  of  the  Saints,  went 
also  to  Hiram  to  be  beside  him.  Smith  was 
toiling  night  and  day  to  produce  a  new  ver 
sion  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures,  believing  that 
he  was  taught  by  inspiration  to  correct  errors 
in  them.  Rigdon  was  scribe  and  reviser. 
These  two  being  absent  from  Kirtland,  re 
sponsibility  and  work  without  limit  rested 
again  with  Angel  Halsey. 

With  unsatisfied  affections  and  thoughts 


158  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

wholly  perplexed,  Susannah  beheld  the  days 
of  the  new  year  lengthening.  Then  she  fell 
into  the  weakness,  to  which  humanity  is 
prone,  of  hoping  eagerly  for  some  external 
circumstance  that  should  lighten  the  inner 
darkness.  A  bit  of  stray  news  one  day  came 
to  her  with  the  shock  of  an  apparent  fulfilment 
of  her  vague  expectation.  Finney  was  pass 
ing  through  that  part  of  the  country  preach 
ing.  Of  all  human  beings  she  had  ever  met, 
this  remarkable  evangelist  most  impressed 
her  as  a  man  who  had  intimate  dealing,  awful, 
yet  friendly,  with  an  unseen  power.  She  had 
no  sooner  heard  that  he  was  within  reach  than 
her  mind  leaped  to  the  determination  to  hear 
him  preach  and  speak  with  him  again.  She 
would  lay  her  difficulties  before  him;  she 
would  hear  from  him  more  intelligence  con 
cerning  the  home  which  she  had  left  than  a 
thousand  letters  could  convey. 

It  was  March  now.  The  winter's  snow 
was  gone.  Finney,  as  it  chanced,  was  to  come 
as  near  to  Kirtland  as  the  village  of  Hiram. 
Susannah  spoke  to  her  husband. 

"  Did  you  hear  that  Mr.  Finney  was  going 
to  preach  at  Hiram?  " 

She  stood  turning  from  the  white  spread 
table  in  the  centre  of  the  room.  The  morn 
ing  light  was  shining  on  the  satin  surface  of 
the  planed  maple  wood  with  which  walls  and 
ceiling  were  lined.  Halsey  was  putting  on  his 
boots  to  go  out  to  his  day's  round  of  business 
and  pastoral  work.  He  knew  just  as  well  as 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  159 

if  she  had  explained  it  to  him  that  a  great  deal 
lay  behind  what  she  said.  He  fell  to  wonder 
ing  at  once  what  she  could  want.  Was  it  to 
send  a  message  to  the  old  home  by  the  man 
whose  very  name  must  recall  all  its  memo 
ries? 

"  I  want  to  go  and  hear  him  preach," 
Susannah  went  on. 

Halsey  was  disturbed.  "  Thou  canst  not 
really  have  such  a  desire,"  he  said  severely. 

"  Why  not?  A  great  deal  that  he  preaches 
is  just  the  same  as  what  you  preach,  Angel." 

He  saw  that  she  was  in  a  turbulent  mood, 
and  that  grieved  him;  but  as  for  her  request, 
he  could  not  believe  it  to  be  serious. 

"  Thou  art  speaking  idle  words,"  he  said 
with  a  sigh,  and  he  rose  to  go  out. 

"  You  have  not  answered  me.  Why 
shouldn't  I  hear  him  when  you  agree  that 
much  that  he  says  is  true?  " 

"  He  is  in  the  camp  of  those  whom  Satan 
has  stirred  up  to  do  us  injury.  That  which 
thou  callest  truth  in  his  mouth  is  but  the  form 
of  godliness,  for  it  is  clear  that  if  God  be  with 
those  who  fight  against  us  he  cannot  be  with 
us." 

Something  in  the  expression  of  her  face 
brought  him  now  a  more  distinct  feeling  of 
alarm.  His  nature  was  singularly  direct.  He 
had  scarcely  finished  his  meditative  argument 
ere  he  sought  to  clinch  its  purport,  and,  step 
ping  near,  he  laid  his  hand  gently  upon  her 
shoulder. 


160  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

"  Dost  thou  doubt,  Susannah,  that  God 
is  with  us?  " 

The  crimson  colour  mounted  from  her 
cheeks  and  spread  over  her  white  brow.  It 
was  as  if  Angel  had  asked  what  he  never  had 
asked,  whether  she  loved  him  or  not,  whether 
all  her  thoughts  and  feelings  were  loyal.  She 
knew  that  for  him  there  was  no  line  of  separa 
tion  between  life  and  love,  and  love  and  re 
ligion.  She  was  careful  for  him  always,  as  a 
mother  is  for  a  delicate  child,  as  a  sick  nurse 
is  for  a  patient.  She  could  not  have  endured 
to  give  him  the  pain  of  hearing  her  denial, 
even  if  such  denial  would  have  expressed  her 
attitude  truly. 

"  Indeed,  Angel,  I — I  know  that  you " 

she  faltered. 

The  trouble  in  his  face  wras  growing. 
"  Has  not  God  made  the  signs  of  his  presence 
clear  to  us,  and  even  visible  before  our  eyes? 
If  thou  shouldst  deny  the  outward  signs,  is 
it  not  by  his  grace  that  we  live?  Susannah, 
dost  thou  think  that  it  is  in  me  by  nature  to 
bear  with  the  infirmities  and  murmurings  of 
our  people  as  I  bear  with  them  daily — babes 
as  they  are,  learning,  but  not  yet  having 
learned,  to  live  at  peace  with  one  another? 
Or  dost  thou  think  that  it  is  in  me  to  forgive 
daily  the  outrageous  acts  and  words  of  our 
enemies,  trying  as  they  do  to  injure  our  inno 
cent  brothers,  or  even  our  prophet  himself? 
Yet,  Susannah  "  (his  voice  was  stirred  with 
emotion),  "  I  would  bear  witness  to  thee  that 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  161 

every  day,  as  I  pray,  the  anger  is  taken  out 
of  my  heart,  and  I  can  deal  with  these  very 
men  in  the  spirit  of  love." 

Standing  erect  before  him,  confused  and 
distressed,  she  made  another  effort  to  soothe, 
even  taking  his  hand  from  her  shoulder  and 
trying  to  caress  it  between  her  own,  but  so 
tense  was  the  question  in  his  mind  that  his 
fingers  were  limp  and  unresponsive  to  her 
touch. 

"  I  know  all  that  you  would  say,  Angel; 
I  know  that  you  are  good;  I  know  that  our 
people,  although  they  have  many  faults,  are 
trying  to  do  right,  and  I  believe  that  the  peo 
ple  in  other  sects  around  us  are  far  more 
wicked,  but — Mr.  Finney  is  not  like  that." 

"  Dear  heart,  thou  knowest  well  that  there 
is  no  goodness  but  that  which  comes  from 
above,  and  although  this  Mr.  Finney  may 
have  a  show  of  goodness,  as  thou  or  I  might 
have  in  his  place,  yet  what  avail  can  his 
preaching  be  if  God  be  not  with  him?  So 
what  show  of  goodness  he  has  only  aideth  the 
devil;  for  how  can  it  be  possible,  when  two 
armies  are  encamped  one  against  another, 
that  God  can  fight  upon  both  sides?  Is  Christ 
divided?" 

A  loud  knock  came  to  the  outer  door; 
Elder  Halsey  was  late  in  getting  to  his  work; 
men  were  waiting  for  him.  He  let  the  sound 
of  the  raps  die  away  before  he  answered  them; 
his  searching  look  was  upon  her  face,  hun 
gering  for  some  assurance  that  his  words  had 


162  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

met  and  slain  her  doubts.  Then  he  was  forced 
to  leave  her. 

It  was  easy  for  Susannah  to  obtain  a  horse 
to  go  to  the  village  of  Hiram.  When  the  day 
of  Finney's  preaching  came,  after  her  husband 
had  gone  to  his  afternoon  work,  she  rode  out 
of  Kirtland. 

Since  she  had  made  up  her  mind  to  dis 
obey  she  had  said  nothing  further  to  Angel. 
Why  inflict  upon  him  the  painful  attempt  to 
hinder  her  which  his  conscience  would  de 
mand? 

The  last  snow-wreath  had  faded,  but  there 
was  not  as  yet  a  bud  or  blade  of  perfect  green. 
The  valley  of  the  Chagrin  lay  almost  hueless 
in  the  cold  sunshine.  A  light  wind  was  blow 
ing  over  its  levels  of  standing  weeds,  and 
whispering  in  the  bare  arms  of  the  huge  nut- 
trees  upon  its  bluffs. 

When  the  sun  began  to  sink,  Susannah 
had  reached  the  low  rolling  ground  that  sur 
rounds  Hiram.  The  landscape  here  had  a  less 
distinctive  character,  and  there  was  no  vapour 
in  the  sky  to  make  the  sunset  beautiful.  She 
was  weary  of  her  horse's  rough  trot,  and  still 
more  so  of  its  slow  plodding,  but  she  felt  ex 
citement.  She  had  conquered  those  forces, 
part  of  her  womanhood,  which  urged  compli 
ance  with  her  husband's  desire  and  her  own 
desire  to  abide  by  the  homely  routine  what 
ever  it  might  be.  The  thing  that  she  had 
done  seemed  so  large  that  her  imagination 
told  her  that  the  event  must  justify  it. 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  ^63 

She  had  no  thought  of  concealment.  She 
knew  only  the  two  families  in  the  village  of 
Hiram.  Her  plan  was  to  go  first  to  the  Rig- 
dons  and  ask  for  refreshment,  thence  to  the 
meeting,  and  after  that  to  ask  for  the  night's 
lodging  which  she  knew  that  Emma  Smith 
would  not  refuse. 

In  the  village  she  saw  that  people  were 
moving  about  and  talking  with  an  air  of  ex 
citement.  When  she  turned  to  a  quiet  cor 
ner  and  asked  an  elderly  man  for  Mrs.  Rig- 
don's  house,  he  stared  at  her  as  if  at  an  ap 
parition. 

"  Is  it  Sydney  Rigdon's  wife  that  you're 
wanting?  " 

Susannah  had  raised  her  veil,  and  he 
looked  at  her  face  with  the  greatest  curiosity. 
Flushed  with  exercise,  braced  by  the  sharp  air, 
her  colour  was  brilliant  and  her  eyes  spark 
ling.  Her  plain  dress  and  heavy  veil  appeared 
to  the  man  to  be  a  disguise,  so  surprising  to 
him  was  the  brilliancy  of  her  face  and  the 
modulation  of  her  voice. 

"  Do  you  not  know  where  the  Rigdons 
live?  "  she  asked. 

He  was  chewing  tobacco,  and  now  he  spat 
upon  the  ground,  not  rudely,  but  as  perform 
ing  an  habitual  action  in  a  moment  of  ab 
stracted  thought.  "  Oh,  I  know  well  enough, 
but  if  ye  won't  mind  my  saying  a  word  to  ye, 
young  lady,  I'd  advise  ye  to  put  up  some 
where  else.  I've  got  darters  of  my  own — in 
course  I  don't  know  who  ye  may  be  or  what 


164  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

ye  may  be  doing  here."  This  last  was  added 
in  an  apparent  attempt  to  attain  to  some  sus 
picion  that  he  felt  to  be  reasonable. 

:f  You  think  ill  of  them  because  you  de 
spise  their  sect,"  she  said  gently,  "but  I  am 
the  wife  of  one  of  the  elders." 

"  Have  ye  got  hold  of  some  news  that 
ye're  carrying  to  them?  "  He  evinced  a  sud 
den  interest  that  appeared  to  her  extraordi 
nary. 

"  What  news?  " 

"  Oh,  7  don't  know.  I  jest  thought  'twas 
queer,  if  you'd  got  hold  of  anybody's  secrets, 
that  you  should  be  asking  where  they  lived, 
straight  out  and  open  in  the  street  like  this." 

His  words  suggested  to  her  only  the  idle 
fancies  of  prejudice.  Some  other  people  drew 
near,  and,  dropping  her  veil,  she  was  starting 
in  the  direction  in  which  he  pointed  when  he 
spoke  again  in  a  more  determined  voice. 
"  You  jest  tell  me  one  thing,  will  you?  "  He. 
even  laid  his  hand  upon  her  bridle  with  au 
thority,  "  Are  ye  going  to  stop  at  Rigdons' 
all  night?  " 

"  No." 

"  Sartin?  " 

When  he  received  her  reply  he  let  go  the 
bridle,  saying  in  warning  tones,  "  Well,  see 
that  ye  don't  do  it,  that's  all." 

The  incident  left  a  disagreeable  impression 
on  Susannah's  mind,  but  she  did  not  attach 
any  distinct  meaning  to  it. 

Rigdon   and   his  wife  were   both   within. 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  165 

Rigdon  locked  the  door  when  Susannah  had 
entered.  Then  with  crossed  arms,  standing 
where  he  could  watch  against  intruders  from 
the  window,  he  began  to  tell  her  news  of  im 
port.  His  mother,  who  was  an  old  woman, 
his  wife,  and  some  younger  members  of  the 
family,  gathered  round. 

The  light  fell  sideways  upon  his  thickset 
form  and  large  hairy  face.  His  manner  was 
the  result  of  struggle  between  effort  for  heroic 
pose  and  an  almost  overmastering  alarm.  His 
matter  was  the  evil  conduct  of  the  surround 
ing  Gentiles  toward  the  Saints.  It  seemed 
that  in  this  and  neighbouring  places,  evan 
gelistic  meetings  had  been  held  in  which 
Presbyterians,  Baptists,  and  Methodists  had 
joined,  and  Rigdon  averred  that  the  preachers 
had  used  threatening  and  abusive  language 
with  regard  to  the  Saints.  A  series  of  such 
meetings  had  begun  in  Hiram,  small  as  it 
was;  and  Joseph  Smith,  like  a  war-horse  scent 
ing  the  battle,  had  set  aside  his  arduous  task 
of  correcting  the  Old  Testament  and  gone 
forth  to  preach  in  the  open  air.  At  first  he 
had  been  greeted  only  with  derision  or  pelted 
with  mud,  but  in  the  last  few  days  he  had 
made  and  baptized  converts,  and  now  the  fury 
of  the  other  sects  was  at  white  heat. 

Susannah's  mind  swiftly  sifted  out  the  im 
probabilities  from  Rigdon's  wrathful  tale. 

"  But  the  people  that  gather  to  such  meet 
ings  as  Mr.  Finney  holds  are  for  the  most 
part  awaked,  for  the  time  at  least,  to  a  higher 


166  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

Christian  life.  It  cannot  be  they  who  have 
used  the  vile  language  that  you  repeat." 

She  almost  felt  the  disagreeable  heat  of 
Rigdon's  breath  as  he  threw  out  in  answer 
stories  of  coarse  and  brutal  insult  which  had 
been  heaped  upon  himself  and  Smith.  The 
large  animal  nature  of  this  man  always  an 
noyed  her.  There  was  much  of  breath  in  his 
words,  much  of  physical  sensation  always 
clinging  to  his  thoughts.  At  present,  how 
ever,  she  was  not  inclined  to  judge  him  too 
hardly;  although  visibly  unstrung,  unwise  in 
his  sweeping  condemnation,  coarse  in  his 
anger,  and  somewhat  grandiloquent  in  his 
pose,  there  was  still  much  of  real  heroism  in 
his  mental  attitude.  Braced  by  the  fiercest 
party  spirit,  he  stood  staunch  in  his  loyalty 
to  Smith  and  the  cause,  with  no  thought  of 
yielding  an  inch  of  ground  to  the  oppressors. 

"  I  do  not  believe,"  repeated  Susannah 
sturdily,  "  that  it  is  the  more  religious  of  the 
Gentiles  who  have  said  and  done  these  things. 
I  have  come  here  to-night  to  hear  and  to 
speak  with  Mr.  Finney,  whom  I  know  to  be  a 
very  godly  and  patient  man." 

k<  Why  has  he  come  here? "  demanded 
Rigdon.  "  He  who  by  his  preaching  can 
gather  thousands  in  populous  places,  why 
should  he  ride  across  this  thinly  settled  par 
cel  of  land,  preaching  to  mere  handfuls,  if 
it  is  not  to  denounce  us?  And  he  has  not  the 
courage  to  go  nearer  to  the  place  where  the 
Saints  are  gathered  in  numbers.  He  will 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  167 

teach  his  hearers  first  to  ravage  the  few  sheep 
that  are  scattered  in  the  wilderness,  that  by 
that  they  may  gain  courage  even  to  attack 
the  fold." 

Susannah  drew  upon  herself  their  anger, 
and  so  strong  was  Rigdon's  physical  nature 
that  even  his  transient  anger  seemed  to  em 
body  itself  in  some  sensible  influence  that 
went  out  from  him  and  preyed  upon  her  nerv 
ous  force. 

The  night  had  fallen.  A  bell,  the  rare 
possession  of  the  largest  meeting-house,  had 
already  begun  to  ring  for  Finney's  preaching. 
Susannah  went  out  on  foot.  The  Rigdons, 
as  also  the  Smiths,  were  living  some  way  from 
the  village.  She  had  now  a  mile  of  dark  road 
to  traverse. 

Closely  veiled,  Susannah  stepped  onward 
eagerly.  She  felt  like  a  child  going  home. 
The  scene  which  she  had  left  showed  tip  vivid 
ly  the  elements  of  Mormon  life  that  were  most 
repulsive  to  her,  the  broad  assumptions  of  ig 
norance,  the  fierce  beliefs  born  of  isolation, 
and  the  growth  by  indulgence  of  such  animal 
characteristics  as  were  not  kept  under  by  a 
literal  morality  or  enforced  by  privations. 
She  was  going  to  see  a  man  who  could  speak 
with  the  voice  of  the  sober  past,  whose  tones 
would  bring  back  to  her  the  intellectual  deli 
cacies  of  Ephraim's  conversation,  the  broad, 
pure  vision  of  life  which  he  beheld,  and  the 
dignified  religion  of  his  people. 

The  meeting-house  was  of  moderate  size. 

12 


l68  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

It  was  already  filled  when  Susannah  entered, 
but  she  was  able  to  press  down  one  of  the  pas 
sage-ways  between, the  pews  and  seat  herself 
near  the  front,  where  temporary  benches  were 
being  rapidly  set  up. 

Many  of  the  congregation  had  doubtless 
come  as  far  as  she.  Men  and  women  of  all 
ages,  and  even  children,  were  there.  Some, 
who  it  seemed  had  followed  Finney  from  his 
last  place  of  preaching,  were  talking  excited* 
ly  concerning  the  work  of  God  which  he  had 
wrought  there.  On  every  face  solemnity  was 
written,  and  stories  were  being  told  of  one 
and  another  who  in  his  recent  meetings  had 
"  fallen  under  the  power  of  God." 

When  Finney  ascended  the  pulpit  Susan 
nah  forgot  all  else.  The  chapel  was  not  well 
lighted,  but  the  pulpit  lamps  shone  upon  him. 
He  had  a  smooth,  strong  face;  his  complex 
ion  was  healthy  and  weather-beaten;  his  dark 
eyes  flashed  brightly  under  bushy  brows.  His 
manner  was  calm;  his  style,  even  in  prayer, 
was  that  of  keen,  terse  argument;  he  spoke 
and  behaved  like  a  man  who,  having  spent 
the  emotional  side  of  his  nature  in  some  pri 
vate  gust  of  passionate  prayer,  had  come  forth 
nerved  to  cool  and  determined  action. 

With  her  whole  soul  Susannah  hung  upon 
his  every  word,  unreasonably  expecting  to 
find  some  new  and  unforeseen  solution  to  the 
problems  of  her  life.  He  had  pointed  out  a 
straight  path  to  multitudes;  she  hoped  that 
he  could  now  show  it  to  her. 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  169 

The  power  of  Finney's  preaching  lay  in 
its  close  logical  reasoning,  by  which,  accept 
ing  certain  premises,  he  built  up  the  conclu 
sion  that  if  a  man  would  escape  eternal  pun 
ishment  he  must  forsake  his  sin  and  accept 
salvation  by  faith  in  the  doctrine  of  the  sub 
stitution.  He  began  always  by  speaking  to 
the  indifferent  and  the  unconvinced;  he  led 
them  step  by  step,  until  it  appeared  that  there 
was  but  one  step  between  them  and  destruc 
tion,  and  that  faith  must  make  one  quick,  long 
leap  to  gain  the  safety  of  the  higher  plane, 
whose  joys  he  depicted  in  glowing  terms. 

For  the  most  part  there  was  intense  silence 
in  the  congregation,  although  sometimes  an 
audible  whisper  of  prayer  or  a  groan  of  sup 
pressed  emotion  was  heard.  The  infection  of 
mental  excitement  was  strong. 

Susannah  was  experiencing  disappoint 
ment.  Accustomed  as  she  was  to  excitement 
in  the  meetings  of  the  Saints,  her  mind  easily 
resisted  the  infectious  influence.  Finney's 
teaching  had  not  differed  in  any  respect  from 
the  doctrine  which  she  heard  from  her  hus 
band  daily,  a  doctrine  which  she  knew  by  ex 
perience  did  not  save  men  from  delusion  and 
rancour.  She  still  listened  eagerly  to  hear 
of  some  provision  made  in  the  scheme  of  sal 
vation  against  injustice  and  folly.  Surely  Fin- 
ney  would  say  something  more. 

As  it  happened  he  did  say  something 
more.  When  for  more  than  an  hour  he  had 
explained  the  great  plan  of  salvation  he 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 


touched  upon  the  responsibility  that  the  hear 
ing  of  such  conclusive  reasoning  imposed. 
The  sower  had  sown  broadcast;  it  remained 
for  him  to  speak  with  awful  impressiveness 
of  those  forces  which  would  be  arrayed  against 
the  convicted  soul.  Under  this  head  he  re 
ferred  at  once  and  with  deep  emotion  to  the 
devil,  who,  in  the  guise  of  false  teachers  lying 
in  wait,  caught  up  the  seed. 

There  could  be  no  doubt  that  the  Mormon 
leaders  were  in  his  mind,  as  they  were  in  the 
mind  of  his  congregation.  It  became  swiftly 
evident  to  Susannah  that  Finney  was  stirred 
by  what  he  believed  to  be  righteous  indig 
nation,  and  that  he  was  as  content  to  be  ig 
norant  concerning  the  doctrines  and  morals 
of  the  people  against  whom  he  spoke  as  were 
the  rudest  members  of  the  outside  rabble  who 
now  pressed  with  excitement  to  the  open 
doors  and  windows. 

The  righteous  Finney  had  no  thought  of 
unrestrained  violence.  He  spoke  out  of  that 
deep  well  of  hatred  for  evil  that  is,  and  ought 
to  be,  in  every  good  man's  heart,  but  he  had 
not  humbled  himself  to  gain  any  real  insight 
into  the  mingling  of  good  and  evil. 

"  They  are  liars,  and  they  know  that  they 
are  liars,"  said  Finney,  striking  the  pulpit 
cushion.  "  The  hypocrisy  of  their  religion  is 
proved  by  the  lawless  habits  of  their  daily 
lives.  Having  sold  themselves  to  the  great 
enemy  of  souls,  they  lie  in  wait  for  you  and 
for  your  children,  seeking  to  beguile  the  most 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  171 

tender  and  innocent,  that  they  may  rejoice  in 
their  destruction." 

He  used  only  such  phrases  as  the  thought 
of  the  time  warranted  with  regard  to  those 
who  had  been  proved  to  be  workers  of  in 
iquity,  but  to  Susannah  it  was  clear,  in  one 
brief  moment,  what  effect  his  words  would 
have  when  heard  by,  or  reported  to,  more 
brutal  men.  She  knew  now  that  Rigdon's 
words  were  true.  The  so-called  Christian 
ministers,  even  the  noblest  of  them,  stirred  up 
the  low  spirit  of  party  persecution. 

She  rose  suddenly,  sweeping  back  her  veil 
from  her  face.  "  I  will  go  out."  She  said 
the  words  in  a  clear  voice. 

A  way  was  made  to  a  back  door  by  the 
side  of  the  pulpit.  Every  one  looked  at  her. 
Finney,  going  on  with  his  preaching,  recog 
nised  her  as  she  began  to  push  forward,  and 
he  faltered,  as  if  seeing  the  face  of  one  who 
had  arisen  from  the  dead.  The  excited  audi 
ence  felt  the  tremor  that  passed  over  its  lead 
er;  it  was  the  first  signal  for  such  obvious 
nervous  affections  as  frequently  befell  people 
under  his  preaching;  before  Susannah  had 
reached  the  door  a  stalwart  man  fell  as  if  dead 
in  her  path. 

There  was  a  groan  and  a  whisper  of  awe 
all  round.  This  was  the  "  falling  "  which  was 
taken  by  many  as  an  indubitable  sign  of  the 
divine  power.  Susannah  had  seen  it  often 
under  Smith's  preaching.  She  waited  with 
indifference  until  he  was  lifted  up. 


i;2  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

Then  the  sea  of  faces  around  her,  the  pow 
erful  voice  of  the  preacher  resounding  above, 
passed  away  like  a  dream,  and  were  exchanged 
for  a  small  room  and  a  dim  light,  where  two 
or  three  people  were  gathered  round  the  form 
of  the  insensible  man.  She  escaped  unnoticed 
through  a  private  door  into  the  fields,  where 
the  March  wind  eddied  in  the  black  night. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  house  in  which  the  Smiths  lived  was 
small.  Susannah  crossed  a  field-path,  led  by 
a  light  in  their  window.  In  the  living  room 
a  truckle  bed  had  already  been  made  up.  By 
the  fire  Joseph  and  Emma  were  both  occu 
pied  with  two  sick  children.  These  children, 
twins  of  about  a  year,  had  been  taken  out  of 
pity  at  their  mother's  death,  and  Susannah 
was  told  as  she  entered  that  they  had  been 
attacked  by  measles. 

Susannah  found  that  the  fact  that  she  had 
been  to  the  meeting  had  not  irritated  the 
Smiths,  although  Mrs.  Rigdon  had  called  to 
make  the  most  of  the  story.  Emma,  absorbed 
in  manifold  cares  for  the  children,  was  only 
solicitous  on  Susannah's  account  lest  a  night's 
rest  in  that  house  should  be  impossible. 
Smith,  pacing  with  a  child  in  his  arms,  seemed 
to  be  head  and  shoulders  above  the  level 
whose  surface  could  be  ruffled  by  life's  minor 
affairs.  With  the  eye  of  his  inner  mind  he 
was  gazing  either  at  some  lofty  scheme  of 
his  own  imagining,  or  at  heaven  or  at  vacancy. 
All  of  him  that  was  looking  at  the  smaller 
beings  about  him  was  composed  and  kind. 

One  of  the  twins,  less  ill  than  the  other, 

173 


174  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

had  fallen  asleep  in  Emma's  arms.  The  other 
was  wailing  pitifully  upon  the  prophet's 
breast. 

"  Do  you  and  Mrs.  Halsey  go  in  and  lie 
down  with  that  young  un,  Emmar,  and  rest 
now  for  a  bit  while  ye  can." 

"  I  can't  leave  ye,  Joseph,  with  the  child 
setting  out  to  cry  all  night  like  that." 

But  he  had  his  way.  Long  after  they  had 
lain  down  in  the  inner  room  Susannah  heard 
him  rocking  the  wailing  babe,  or  trying  to 
feed  it,  or  pacing  the  floor.  Emma,  worn 
out,  slept  beside  her.  Upstairs  the  owners  of 
the  house,  an  old  couple  named  Johnson,  and 
Emma's  own  child,  were  at  rest. 

Susannah  lay  rigidly  still  in  the  small  por 
tion  of  the  bed  which  fell  to  her  share.  Her 
mind  was  up,  wandering  through  waste 
places,  seeking  rest  in  vain.  The  wail  of  the 
child  in  the  next  room  at  last  had  ceased.  The 
prophet  had  lain  down  with  it  on  the  truckle 
bed.  Long  after  midnight  Susannah  began 
to  hear  a  low  sound  as  of  creeping  footsteps 
in  the  field.  Some  people  were  passing  very 
near,  surely  they  would  go  past  in  a  moment? 
She  heard  them  brushing  against  the  outer 
wall,  and  gleams  of  a  light  carried  fell  upon 
the  window. 

In  a  minute  more  the  outer  door  of  the 
house  was  broken  open.  Emma  woke  with  a 
cry;  instinct,  even  in  sleep,  made  her  spring 
toward  the  door  that  separated  her  from  her 
husband. 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  175 

The  two  women  stood  in  the  inner  door 
way,  but  the  coarse  arm  of  a  masked  man  was 
already  stretched  across  it,  an  impassable  bar 
rier.  The  prophet  lay  on  the  child's  bed,  so 
heavy  with  sleep  tardily  sought  that  he  did 
not  awake  until  four  men  had  laid  hold  of 
him.  All  the  light  upon  the  scene  came  from 
a  smoking  torch  which  one  of  the  house 
breakers  held.  Some  twenty  men  might  have 
been  there  inside  the  room  and  out.  The 
women  could  barely  see  that  Smith  was  borne 
out  in  the  midst  of  the  band.  He  struggled 
fiercely  when  aroused,  but  was  overpowered 
by  numbers. 

The  owners  of  the  house  came  down  from 
above,  huddling  together  and  holding  Emma, 
who  would  have  thrown  herself  in  the  midst 
of  the  mob. 

Susannah  had  not  undressed.  She  threw 
her  cloak  over  her  head  and  ran  out,  deter 
mined  to  go  to  the  village  and  demand  help 
in  the  name  of  law  and  a  common  humanity. 
She  was  in  a  mood  to  be  reckless  in  aiding 
the  cause  she  had  espoused. 

By  the  glow  of  the  torch  which  the  felons 
held  she  saw  the  group  close  about  the  one 
struggling  man  as  they  carried  him  away. 
She  fled  in  a  different  direction. 

She  had  gone  perhaps  sixty  rods  in  the 
darkness  out  of  sight  of  Smith  and  his  tor 
mentors  when  she  was  stopped  by  three  men 
and  her  name  and  purpose  demanded.  When 
she  declared  it  in  breathless  voice  they  laughed 


176  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

aloud.  In  the  darkness  she  was  deprived  of 
that  weapon,  her  beauty,  by  which  she  habit 
ually,  although  unconsciously,  held  men  in 
awe. 

"  Now,  see  here,  sister,  you  jest  sit  quietly 
on  the  fence  here,  and  see  which  of  them's 
going  to  get  the  best  of  it.  Your  man's  a 
prophet,  you  know;  let  him  call  out  his  mira 
cles  now,  and  give  us  a  good  show  of  them 
for  once.  He's  jest  got  a  few  ordinary  men 
to  deal  with;  if  he  and  his  miracles  can't  git 
the  best  of  them  he  ain't  no  prophet.  Here's 
a  flattish  log  now  on  top.  Git  up  and  sit  on 
the  fence,  sister." 

While  she  struggled  in  custody  another 
group  of  dark  figures  came  suddenly  at  a 
swinging  trot  round  the  dark  outline  of  one 
of  the  nearer  houses.  They  brought  with 
them  the  same  kind  of  lurid  torch  and  a  smok 
ing  kettle  or  cauldron  carried  between  two. 
The  foremost  among  them  were  also  carry 
ing  the  body  of  a  man,  whether  dead  or  alive 
she  could  not  see.  When  he  was  thrown  upon 
the  ground  he  moved  and  spoke.  It  was  Rig- 
clon's  voice.  She  perceived  that  he  was  help 
less  with  terror.  The  prophet  had  certainly 
struggled  more  lustily. 

'VNow  you  jest  keep  still,  sister,"  said  the 
loudest  of  her  three  companions.  "  Kill  him? 
not  if  ye  don't  make  a  mess  of  it  by  interter- 
in'.  It's  only  boilin'  tar  they've  got  in  the 
pot." 

Susannah  covered  her  face  with  her  hands; 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  177 

then,  too  frightened  to  abstract  her  mind, 
she  gazed  again,  as  if  her  watchfulness  might 
hinder  some  outrage.  The  group  was  not 
near  enough,  the  light  was  too  uncertain,  for 
her  to  see  clearly.  The  shadows  of  the  men 
were  cast  about  upon  field  and  wall  as  if  hor 
rible  goblins  surrounded  and  overshadowed 
the  more  material  goblins  who  were  at  work. 
They  were  taking  Rigdon's  clothes  from  him. 
Their  language  did  not  come  to  her  clearly, 
but  it  was  of  the  vilest  sort,  and  she  heard 
enough  to  make  her  heart  shiver  and  sicken. 
They  held  over  him  the  constant  threat  that 
if  he  resisted  they  would  kill  him  outright.  If 
Smith,  too,  were  exposed  to  such  treatment 
she  did  not  believe  that  he  would  submit,  and 
perhaps  he  was  now  being  done  to  death  not 
far  off. 

When  they  began  to  beat  Rigdon  with 
rods  and  his  screams  rang  out,  Susannah  could 
endure  no  longer.  She  broke  madly  away 
from  her  keepers,  running  back  along  the 
road  towards  Emma's  house.  They  essayed 
to  follow;  then  with  a  laugh  and  a  shrug  let 
her  go,  calling  to  her  to  run  quick  and  see  if 
the  prophet  had  fetched  down  angels  to  pro 
tect  him. 

Susannah  ran  a  long  way,  then,  breath 
less  and  exhausted,  found  that  she  had  missed 
a  turning  and  gone  much  too  far.  Afraid  lest 
she  should  lose  herself  by  mistaking  even  the 
main  direction  in  which  she  wanted  to  go,  and 
that  while  out  of  reach  of  any  respectable 


i;8  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

house  she  might  again  be  assailed  by  mem 
bers  of  the  mob,  she  came  back,  walking  with 
more  caution.  She  had  no  hope  now  of  being 
the  means  of  bringing  help.  She  had  come 
farther  from  the  village  instead  of  nearing  it, 
and  what  few  neighbours  there  were,  having 
failed  to  interfere,  were  evidently  inimical. 

When  she  found  the  right  turning  she 
again  heard  the  shouts  of  some  assaulting 
party,  and,  creeping  within  the  shadow  of 
trees,  she  waited. 

At  length  they  passed  her,  straggling 
along  the  road,  shouting  and  singing,  carry 
ing  with  them  some  garments  which,  in  rough 
horse-play,  they  were  tearing  into  fragments. 
When  the  last  had  turned  his  back  to  where 
she  stood  she  crept  out,  running  again  like 
a  hunted  thing,  fearing  what  she  might  find 
as  the  result  of  their  work.  To  increase  her 
distress  the  thought  came  that  it  was  more 
than  possible  that  like  work  had  been  going 
on  at  Kirtland  that  night.  Tears  of  unutter 
able  indignation  and  pitiful  love  came  to  her 
eyes  at  the  thought  that  Angel,  too,  might 
be  suffering  this  shameful  treatment.  Across 
some  acres  of  open  ground  she  saw  the 
Smiths'  house,  doors  and  windows  lit  by  can 
dles.  Thither  she  was  hastening  when,  in  the 
black  space  of  the  nearer  field,  she  almost  fell 
upon  a  whitish  form,  grotesque  and  horrible, 
which  was  rising  from  the  ground. 

"  Who  is  it?  "  asked  Joseph  Smith. 

He  stood  up  now,  but  not  steadily;  his 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 


179 


voice  was  weak,  as  if  he  had  been  stunned, 
and  his  utterance  indistinct  because  his  mouth 
had  apparently  received  some  injury.  She 
thought  of  nothing  now  but  that  he  was  An 
gel's  master,  and  that  Angel  might  be  in  like 
plight. 

"  What  have  they  done?  What  is  the 
matter?  "  she  whispered  tenderly,  tears  in  her 
voice. 

"  Is  it  you?  "  he  asked  curiously.  He  said 
nothing  for  a  minute  and  then,  "  They've  cov 
ered  me  with  the  tar  and  emptied  a  feather 
bed  on  me.  If  ye'd  have  the  goodness  to  tell 
Brother  Johnson  to  come  out  to  me,  Mrs. 
Halsey " 

"  They  have  hurt  you  other  ways,"  she 
said  tremulously,  "  you  are  bruised." 

"  A  man  don't  like  to  own  up  to  having 
been  flogged,  ye  see;  but  Peter  and  Paul  and 
all  of  them  had  to  stand  it  in  their  time,  so 
I  don't  know  why  a  fellow  like  me  need  be 
shamefaced  over  it.  But  if  you'd  be  good 
enough,  Mrs.  Halsey,  to  go  and  tell  Emmar 
that  I  ain't  much  hurt,  and  send  Brother  John 
son  out  with  some  clothes  or  a  blanket " 

He  stopped  without  adding  that  he  would 
feel  obliged.  As  she  went  she  heard  him  say 
with  another  sort  of  unsteadiness  in  his  tone, 
"  It's  real  kind  of  you  to  care  for  me  that 
much." 

In  her  excitement  she  did  not  know  that 
she  was  weeping  bitterly  until  she  found  her 
self  surrounded  by  other  shuddering  and 


l8o  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

weeping  women  in  Emma's  room;  for  other 
of  the  converts  in  Hiram,  hearing  of  the  vio 
lence  abroad,  had  crept  to  this  house  for  mu 
tual  safety  and  aid. 

It  is  the  low,  small  details  of  physical  dis 
comfort  that  make  the  bitterest  part  of  the 
bread  of  sorrow.  Now  and  afterwards, 
through  all  the  persecutions  in  which  she 
shared,  Susannah  often  felt  this.  If  she  could 
have  stood  off  and  looked  at  the  main  issues 
of  the  battle  she  might  have  felt,  even  on  the 
mere  earthly  plane,  exaltation.  Yet  one  truth 
her  experience  confirmed — that  no  human 
being  who  in  his  time  and  way  has  been 
hunted  as  the  offscouring  of  the  world — no, 
not  the  noblest — has  ever  had  his  martyrdom 
presented  in  a  form  that  seemed  to  him  ma 
jestic.  It  is  only  those  who  bear  persecution, 
not  in  its  reality  but  in  imagination,  who  can 
conceive  of  it  thus. 

All  night  the  women  were  crowded  to 
gether  in  the  small  inner  room  with  the  two 
sick  babes,  while  Emma  and  two  of  the  breth 
ren  performed  the  painful  operation  of  tak 
ing  the  tar  from  Smith's  lacerated  skin.  The 
prophet  bore  himself  well.  Now  and  then 
through  the  thin  partition  the  watchers  heard 
an  involuntary  groan,  but  he  was  firm  in  his 
determination  to  be  clean  of  the  pitch,  and 
to  preach  as  he  had  appointed  the  next  day. 

At  dawn  Susannah  went  to  get  her  horse 
at  Rigdon's  house.  The  animal  was  safe. 
When  she  had  saddled  it  she  inquired  after 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  jgl 

the  welfare  of  those  within  the  house.  Rig- 
don  was  raving  in  delirium.  He  had,  it 
seemed,  been  dragged  for  some  distance  by 
his  heels,  his  head  trailing  over  stony  ground. 
They  had  not  been  able  to  remove  the  tar  and 
feathers.  He  lay  upon  a  small  bed  in  horri 
ble  condition.  His  wife,  with  swollen  eyes 
and  pallid  face,  was  sitting  helpless  upon  the 
foot  of  the  bed,  worn  out  with  vain  efforts  to 
soothe  him.  His  mother,  a  thin  and  dark  old 
woman,  vibrating  with  anathemas  against  his 
tormentors,  led  Susannah  in  and  out  of  the 
room  silently,  as  though  to  say,  "  This  is  the 
work  of  those  whose  virtue  you  extolled." 

The  village,  the  low  rolling  hills  about  it, 
lay  still  in  the  glimmer  of  dawn.  The  men 
of  violence  were  sleeping  as  soundly,  it 
seemed,  as  innocence  may  sleep.  The  famous 
preacher,  and  all  those  souls  that  he  had 
thrilled  through  and  through  for  good  and 
evil,  were  now  wrapped  in  silence.  Susan 
nah  rode  fast,  guiding  her  horse  on  the  grass 
by  the  roadside  lest  the  sound  of  his  hoofs 
should  arouse  some  vicious  mind  to  renewed 
wrath.  Her  imagination,  possessed  by  the 
scenes  of  the  past  night,  presented  to  her  live 
ly  fear  for  Halsey's  safety.  She  gave  her  horse 
no  peace;  she  thought  nothing  of  her  own 
fatigue  until  she  had  reached  the  Chagrin  val 
ley,  and  the  walls  of  the  Mormon  temple 
which  was  being  reared  upon  Kirtland  Bluff 
were  seen  glistening  in  the  sunlight,  with  the 
familiar  outline  of  the  wooden  town  sur- 


1 82  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

rounded  by  gray  wreaths  of  the  leafless  nut 
woods.  It  was  high  day,  and  the  people  were 
gathering  for  morning  service  when  Susan 
nah  rode  her  jaded  horse  through  the  street 
of  the  lower  village  and  up  the  hill  of  the 
Bluff. 

As  she  lifted  the  latch  of  her  own  door 
Angel  was  about  to  come  out  to  preach.  His 
face  was  very  white  and  sad.  Susannah's  glad 
relief,  fatigue,  and  excitement  found  vent  in 
tears. 

'You  are  safe!"  she  cried.  "  Oh,  my 
dear,  I  will  never  leave  you  again  while  dan 
ger  is  near — never,  never  again!  " 

In  the  evening  of  that  day  further  news 
came  from  Hiram.  The  prophet  had  preached 
long  and  gloriously  in  the  open  air.  New 
converts  had  been  made,  and  he  himself,  scari 
fied  and  bruised  as  he  was,  had  gone  down 
into  the  icy  river  and  baptized  them  in  sight 
of  all.  The  mob  had  shrieked  and  jeered,. but 
had  been  withheld  by  God,  as  the  messenger 
said,  from  further  violence. 

Susannah  made  no  further  effort  to  find 
new  life  in  the  old  doctrines.  All  her  senti 
ments  of  justice  and  mercy  combined  to  make 
her  espouse  her  husband's  cause  with  renewed 
ardour. 


CHAPTER   V. 

IN  the  summer  of  that  same  year,  while  the 
wheat  in  the  Manchester  fields  was  still  green, 
and  the  maize  had  attained  but  half  its  growth, 
while  the  ox-eyed  daisies  still  stood  a  happy 
crowd  in  the  unmown  meadows,  and  pink 
and  yellow  orchids  blazed  in  unfrequented 
dells,  the  preacher  Finney,  after  long  absence, 
chanced  to  be  again  travelling  on  the  Pal 
myra  road.  As  was  his  habit,  he  sought  en 
tertainment  at  the  house  of  Deacon  Croom  in 
New  Manchester. 

The  preacher  remembered  always  that  his 
citizenship  wras  in  heaven.  From  the  thought 
he  drew  great  nourishment  of  peace  and  hope, 
but  as  far  as  his  earthly  affairs  were  concerned 
the  outlook  was  at  present  grievous. 

He  was  returning  from  a  long  and  dreary 
religious  convention  held  in  an  eastern  town, 
where  one,  Mr.  Lyman  Beecher,  had  stirred 
up  against  him  the  foremost  divines  of  New 
York  and  Boston.  They  had  asserted  that 
Finney's  doctrine,  that  the  Spirit  of  God  could 
suddenly  turn  men  from  following  evil  to  pur 
suing  good,  was  false  and  pernicious;  that  his 
method  stirred  up  the  people  to  unholy  ex 
citements  which  were  productive  of  great  evil. 
13  183 


184  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

Now  the  accusations  of  these  divines  (who, 
thinking  that  a  man's  change  of  mind  must 
needs  be  so  slow  a  thing,  some  of  them,  gray- 
haired,  had  not  as  yet  produced  this  change 
in  a  single  sinner)  were  in  many  points  wholly 
false,  in  many  exaggerated,  and  where  the 
article  of  truth  remained  in  the  accusation 
there  was  much  to  be  said  in  defence  of  work 
that  had  resulted,  if  in  some  evil,  certainly  in 
much  palpable  good.  To  such  groups  of 
priests  and  soldiers  and  publicans  as  came 
forth  to  John's  baptism  of  repentance,  the 
godly  Finney,  travelling  now  east  and  now 
west,  had  appealed,  and  that  the  wide  land 
was  the  better  for  the  crying  of  his  voice  no 
candid  person  who  knew  the  result  of  his 
labours  could  den}^  He  that  had  two  coats 
had  imparted  to  him  that  had  none;  the  ex 
tortioner  had  returned  his  unfair  gains,  and 
some  rough  men  had  become  gentle.  But  in 
the  assembly  from  which  Finney  had  just 
come  the  larger  numbers  and  the  greater  pow 
er  of  rhetoric  had  been  on  that  side  which 
appeared  to  show  least  faith  in  God  and  least 
zeal  for  men,  and  Finney  had  come  out  from 
the  combat  bruised  in  spirit. 

Some  natural  comfort  the  weary  man  ex 
perienced  from  the  sweet  charm  of  the  sum 
mer  afternoon,  from  anticipation  of  the  wel 
come  and  sympathy  which  would  soon  be  his. 
He  heard,  but  could  not  see,  the  Canandaigua 
water  a.s  it  ran  under  its  canopy  of  willows, 
over  whose  foliage  the  light  wind  passed  in 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  185 

silver  waves.  On  the  height  of  the  hill  above 
the  mill-dam  he  turned  his  horse  into  the  yard 
of  the  Croom  homestead.  The  stalwart  dea 
con  in  overalls,  his  excitable,  slender  wife,  her 
cap-strings  flying,  came  forth,  the  one  from 
the  barn,  the  other  from  her  bake-house. 

It  was  not  to  either  of  these  worthy  souls 
that  Finney  intended  first  to  confide  the  story 
of  his  glimpse  of  Susannah.  It  said  much  for 
the  sterling  truth  of  this  man's  soul  that,  ac 
customed  as  he  was  to  demand  from  himself 
and  others  public  confession  of  those  experi 
ences  most  private  to  the  individual  soul,  he 
had  not  lost  delicacy  of  feeling  or  reverence 
for  individual  privacy  in  human  relationships. 
He  had  not  been  at  this  house  since  the  month 
after  Susannah's  departure,  when  excitement 
and  wrath  still  raged  concerning  her.  He 
judged  that  in  the  hearts  of  the  older  mem 
bers  the  wound  had  healed,  leaving  only  the 
healthy  scar  that  such  sorrows  leave  in  busy 
lives.  He  knew,  too,  that  in  Ephraim's  heart 
the  blade  of  this  grief  had  cut  deeper. 

The  supper  over,  the  full  moon  already 
gilding  the  last  hour  of  the  summer  daylight, 
Ephraim  donned  his  hat  to  take  the  solitary 
evening  stroll  to  which  he  had  become  ac 
customed.  He  thought  to  leave  the  trio  who 
were  in  complete  accord  of  sentiment  to  talk 
longer  over  the  persecution  which  Finney  en 
dured,  but  on  the  little  brick  path  between  the 
flower-beds  the  evangelist  came  up  with  him. 

Ephraim  was  but  half  pleased.     It  was  in 


1 86  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

this  brief  evening  hour  that  he  set  his  thoughts 
free,  like  children  at  playtime.  Like  other 
students  forced  to  live  in  invaliclish  habits,  he 
had  established  a  rule  of  thought  more  strict 
than  men  of  active  callings  need.  At  certain 
hours  he  would  study  his  country's  social, 
political  needs;  at  others  he  would  help  in  his 
father's  farm  management;  at  others  he  would 
study  some  exact  science.  But  when  the 
measured  hours  of  his  day  were  over,  and  be 
fore  he  lit  his  student's  lamp,  for  a  while  he 
turned  his  fancies  loose,  and  they  ran  all  too 
surely  to  play  about  Susannah's  charms,  about 
the  circumstances  of  her  life.  This  was  not 
his  happiest  hour.  The  eternal  advantage  of 
love  was  lost  for  the  time  in  its  present  dis 
tress.  Hateful  thoughts  were  the  results  of 
this  self-indulgence,  yet  he  hated  more  any 
thing  that  came  as  interruption.  During  these 
years  the  lover  in  him  had  not  grown  what 
the  world  calls  wise. 

For  some  minutes  Finney,  controlling  the 
briskness  of  his  ordinary  pace,  walked  by 
Ephraim's  side  and  contented  himself  with  the 
gracious  scene,  passing  remarks  upon  weather 
and  crops.  Soon,  for  the  value  of  time  always 
pressed  upon  him,  his  business-like  voice  took 
a  softened  tone,  and  he  began  preaching  a 
heart-felt  sermon  to  his  one  listener. 

The  subject  of  the  sermon  was  "  the  fire 
God  gave  for  other  ends,"  and  he  ventured  to 
point  out  to  Ephraim,  in  his  plain,  logical 
way,  that  it  was  wrong  to  waste  on  a  woman 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 


that  devotion  which  God  intends  only  for 
himself. 

Ephraim  smiled;  it  was  a  good-tempered, 
buoyant  smile.  "  Did  it  ever  occur  to  you, 
Finney,  to  reflect  that,  with  your  opinions, 
had  you  been  the  Creator,  you  would  never 
have  made  the  world  as  it  is  made?  What 
time  would  you  ever  have  thought  it  worth 
while  to  spend  in  developing  the  iridescence 
on  a  beetle's  wing,  in  adjusting  man's  soul 
till  it  responds  with  storm  or  calm,  gloom  or 
glory,  to  outer  influence,  as  the  surface  of  the 
ocean  to  weather?  " 

Finney  was  puzzled,  as  he  always  was,  by 
Ephraim's  bonhomie  and  his  strange  ideas. 
"  But  what  have  you  to  advance  against  what 
I  have  already  said,  Ephraim?  " 

"  Advance?  I  advance  nothing.  I  even 
withdraw  my  painted  insects  and  the  storms 
of  emotion  by  which  I  had  perhaps  thought 
that  God  did  his  best  teaching;  I  withdraw 
also  my  exaltation  of  that  strait  gate  of  use 
without  abuse  for  the  making  of  which  I  had 
almost  said  Heaven  hands  us  the  most  dan 
gerous  things.  I  withdraw  all  that  offends 
you,  Finney,  in  order  to  thank  you  for  hav 
ing  spoken  her  name.  No  one  else  has 
spoken  it  in  my  hearing  since  they  knew  of 
my  last  parting  with  her,  and  I  —  I  am  fool 
enough  half  the  days  to  wish  the  clouds  in 
their  thunder-claps  would  name  her." 

The  voice  of  the  whip-poor-will  com 
plained  over  the  tops  of  the  woodland  in  near 


188  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

and  far  cadence  through  the  warm  moonlit 
air.  Beside  this  and  the  throb  of  insect  voices 
there  was  no  sound.  "  I  came  out  this  even 
ing,"  said  Finney,  "  to  tell  you  that  last  March 
in  Ohio  I  saw  her."  His  voice  fell  at  the  pro 
noun  in  sympathetic  sorrow. 

"  Yes?  " 

"  When  I  was  about  to  return  from  Cin 
cinnati  I  was  advised  to  go  northward  to  the 
Erie  Canal,  in  order  that  I  might  pass  through 
that  part  of  the  State  which  has  been  sorely 
infected  by  the  cancer  of  that  hypocrite's 
teaching." 

There  was  no  need  in  the  district  of  Man 
chester  for  Finney  to  explain  what  hypocrite 
he  meant.  In  his  own  country  Smith  was 
commonly  held  to  be  the  arch-hypocrite. 

"  The  devil  has  surely  espoused  that  cause 
in  earnest,  for  the  number  of  deluded  souls 
in  that  part  of  Ohio  and  in  southern  Missouri, 
and  scattered  as  missionaries  up  and  down  the 
country,  is,  I  hear,  between  three  and  four 
thousand." 

"  And  always  among  those  who  worship 
the  letter  of  the  Scripture,"  remarked  Ephra- 
im,  "  for  their  missionaries  give  chapter  and 
verse  for  all  they  teach." 

"  I  was  told  that  their  customs  were  pecul 
iarly  evil.  Even  among  themselves  they  lie 
and  steal  and  are  violent  and  licentious;  and 
they  teach  openly  that  it  is  a  merit  to  steal 
from  the  Gentiles,  as  they  call  those  not  of 
themselves;  and,  furthermore,  they  aim  at 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  189 

nothing  less  than  setting  up  a  government  of 
their  own  in  the  west." 

"  Who  told  you  all  this?  " 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  I  had  it  on  good 
authority.  Some  of  the  western  brethren  had 
it  from  a  poor  fellow  who  had  been  deluded 
into  entering  the  Mormon  community,  and 
had  barely  escaped  with  his  life  when  he  de 
sired  to  withdraw." 

"  Would  you  consider  a  pervert  from  your 
own  sect  the  best  witness  of  its  tenets?  But 
you  say  that  you  saw  my  cousin?  " 

Finney  told  what  had  led  him  to  the  vil 
lage  of  Hiram,  and  said,  "  When  I  spoke  of 
the  sins  of  the  Mormons,  a  young  woman 
seated  near  the  front  of  the  congregation  rose 
up.  It  was  your  cousin.  I  saw  at  once  by 
the  pallor  of  her  face  that  the  Lord  was  hav 
ing  direct  dealing  with  her  soul.  The  '  pow 
er  '  was  indeed  very  great ;  a  strong  man  fell 
as  dead  near  her,  who  before  the  night  was 
over  gave  testimony  of  sound  conversion. 
After  he  and  your  cousin  had  been  led  out, 
many  others  in  different  parts  of  the  build 
ing  cried  to  God  for  mercy.  When  the  ser 
mon  was  over  I  sought  for  your  cousin,  but 
when  I  told  who  she  was,  the  people  of  the 
place  said  that  no  doubt  Mormon  messengers 
had  come  while  she  was  waiting,  and  forced 
her  to  depart.  That  night  there  was  a  dis 
turbance  in  the  place;  some  of  the  more  hot 
headed  men  had  the  leaders  out,  and  tarred 
and  feathered  them — a  dastardly  deed!  I 


190  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

have  been  threatened  myself  with  being  rid 
on  a  rail  and  tarred  when  the  devil  stirred  up 
the  people  against  my  preaching,  but  the  Lord 
mercifully  preserved  me.  'Tis  a  shameful 
practice,  but  I  hear  it  was  done  to  these  men 
to  intimidate  them  from  the  more  violent 
crimes  which  they  had  conspired  to  commit. 
In  the  morning  I  was  forced  to  go,  as  I  was 
advertised  to  preach  at  many  stations  farther 
on,  or  I  would  have  denounced  the  violence 
from  the  pulpit.  I  could  not  find  out  any 
thing  more  concerning  your  cousin,  but  the 
Lord  has  never  allowed  me  to  doubt  that  the 
many  prayers  which  we  have  offered  on  her 
behalf  were  answered  that  night,  for  I  could 
see  by  the  expression  of  her  face  that  she,  like 
those  upon  the  day  of  Pentecost,  was  cut  to 
the  heart." 

At  the  garden  gate,  under  the  boughs  of 
the  quince-tree,  which  had  increased  its 
branches  since  the  day  in  which  Susannah 
had  last  passed  under  them,  Ephraim  now 
stood  in  the  moonlight,  barring  the  entrance. 
At  length  with  a  sigh  he  said,  "  Alas!  Finney, 
I  believe  that  there  are  few  souls  under  heaven 
more  true  and  more  worthy  than  your  own; 
but  as  for  the  power  of  God,  '  His  way  is  in 
the  sea  and  his  path  in  the  great  waters,  but 
his  footsteps  are  not  known/  ' 

Out  of  his  breast  Ephraim  took  a  thin 
leather  book,  and  from  out  of  the  book 
gave  Finney  a  letter  much  worn  with  read 
ing. 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  191 

Finney  took  the  letter  reverently,  and  read 
it  by  the  light  of  his  bedroom  candle.  In 
those  days  letters  were  more  formally  writ 
ten;  this  one  from  Susannah  to  Ephraim 
began  with  wishes  concerning  her  aunt  and 
uncle  and  the  prosperity  of  the  household. 
The  fine  flowing  writing  filled  the  large 
sheet. 

"  I  write  to  you,  my  dear  cousin,  rather 
than  to  my  aunt,  to  whom  I  fear  my  letter 
would  not  be  acceptable,  for  although  I  can 
say  that  I  regret  my  wilfulness  and  the  man 
ner  of  my  disobedience,  still  I  can  never  re 
gret  that,  having  been  forced  to  choose,  I 
threw  in  my  lot  with  those  who  can  suffer 
wrong  rather  than  with  those  who  have  it  in 
their  hearts  to  inflict  wrong,  for  if  there  be 
a  God — ah,  Ephraim,  this  is  another  reason 
why  I  address  you,  for  I  am  in  sore  doubt 
concerning  the  knowledge  of  God,  as  to 
whether  any  knowledge  is  possible.  My  hus 
band,  who  denies  me  nothing,  has  allowed  me 
to  send  for  some  of  your  books  whose  names 
I  remembered.  I  thought  at  first  to  write  to 
you  about  them,  but  I  distrust  now  my  own 
understanding  too  much  to  venture.  I  would 
like  you  to  know  that  they  have  helped  me 
somewhat,  for  I  do  not  now  say  to  myself 
in  hard,  tearless  fashion  that  I  know  there  is 
no  God,  to  which  thought  I  was  driven  by  the 
reflection  that  most  of  those  who  seek  him 
most  diligently  sow  the  wind  and  reap  the 
whirlwind. 


192  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

"  But  the  more  immediate  occasion  of  this 
letter  is  to  tell  you  that  a  month  since  Mr. 
Finney  held  a  meeting  not  far  from  us.  I 
went,  thinking  to  gain  some  help  from  him, 
and  to  hear  news  of  you,  but  I  was  greatly 
disappointed,  and  made  very  angry.  He 
preached  as  my  husband  and  many  of  our 
elders  preach,  and  there  were  among  the 
crowd  the  same  signs  of  excitement  and  pe 
culiar  manifestations  that  we  have  constantly 
among  us.  But  toward  the  end  of  his  sermon 
Mr.  Finney  spoke  of  my  husband's  Church, 
and  he  lent  the  weight  of  his  influence  to  very 
evil  slanders  that  are  constantly  repeated 
about  us  by  those  who  have  not  sought  to 
know  the  truth.  He  did  us  great  injury  by 
stirring  up  the  roughest  of  the  people  to  vio 
lence.  Mr.  Finney  will,  I  suppose,  visit  you 
and  repeat  those  lies,  which  no  doubt  he  be 
lieves,  but  is  most  culpable  in  believing,  be 
cause  he  has  not  investigated  the  scandal 
against  us  as  he  would  have  investigated  scan 
dal  against  any  who  are  orthodox.  I  write 
now  to  tell  you  that  that  which  he  says  is  not 
true.  For  although  there  are  a  few  criminals 
amongst  us,  as  in  every  community,  evil  is 
not  taught  or  condoned." 

As  Finney  read  this  letter  by  his  lonely 
candle  he  was  so  far  stirred  by  what  he  deemed 
the  merely  human  side  of  the  incident  as  to 
say  to  himself,  "Poor  Fphraim!  She  has 
never  even  known  that  he  loved  her."  But 
next  day,  in  speaking  to  Ephraim,  he  pointed 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  193 

out  that  in  the  worst  communities  there  were 
always  pure-minded  women  who  knew  little 
or  nothing  of  the  evil  around  them,  and  said 
he  believed  that  his  message  would  still  be 
the  means  of  bringing  home  the  truth  to 
Susannah's  heart. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

IN  the  meantime  an  interval  of  compara 
tive  peace  had  come  to  Kirtland.  The  Gen 
tiles,  because  they  discovered  that  the  town 
was  a  good  market  for  the  produce  of  more 
fields  than  the  Saints  could  till,  allowed  their 
religious  zeal  to  slumber. 

A  female  relative  of  Halsey,  having  lost 
her  friends  by  death,  came  from  the  east  to 
Kirtland  upon  his  invitation. 

Susannah  went  down  the  hill  one  summer 
day  to  meet  the  travelling  company  of  new 
converts  which  brought  Elvira  Halsey.  That 
young  lady  had  seen  about  twenty-five  years 
of  life's  vicissitudes,  arid  had  sharpened  her 
wits  thereon.  Slight,  pretty,  and  dressed  with 
an  effort  at  fashion  that  was  quite  astonishing 
in  the  Kirtland  settlement,  Elvira  sprang  from 
the  waggon. 

"  I've  come  to  be  a  Mormon.  How  do 
you  begin?  "  With  these  words  she  presented 
to  Susannah  a  new  type  of  character,  fresh, 
and  in  some  ways  delightful. 

There  was  quite  a  crowd  at  the  stopping 
place  of  the  waggons.  Halsey,  with  other 
elders  and  Smith,  came  to  welcome  the  new 
comer.  Elvira  stood  on  tip-toe,  peeping 
194 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  195 

about,  pressing  Susannah's  arm  with  whis 
pers.  "  Which  is  Joe  Smith,  do  tell  me?  Do 
you  go  down  on  your  knees  to  him,  and  does 
he  pat  your  head?  " 

Guided  by  keen  instinct,  Elvira  did  not 
make  remarks  in  Halsey's  hearing  which 
would  have  shocked  him,  but  perhaps  by  the 
same  instinct  she  at  once  claimed  Susannah 
as  a  confidante  in  spite  of  some  feeble  re 
monstrance. 

"  Are  you  not  wrong  to  speak  so  lightly 
of  our  religion?  "  asked  Susannah,  feeling  that 
she  was  an  elder's  wife. 

"  First  let  me  be  sure  that  you  have  any 
religion  to  speak  of."  She  looked  up  prettily 
in  Susannah's  face.  "  What  a  beautiful  crea 
ture  you  are!  "  she  cried.  "  And  is  it  to  please 
my  cousin  Angel  that  you  wear  a  snuff-col 
oured  dress  and  a  white  cap  and  a  neckerchief 
like  an  old  lady  of  seventy?  " 

As  they  proceeded  together  up  the  white 
curving  road,  over  the  crest  of  the  verdant 
bluff,  Elvira  announced  her  further  inten 
tions. 

"  I  am  not  going  to  live  with  you.  I  am 
going  to  board  with  the  Smiths.  I  want  to 
get  to  the  bottom  of  this  business  and  see 
the  apparitions  myself." 

"  There  are  no  apparitions,"  said  Susan 
nah  gently. 

"  Gold  books,  you  know,  flying  about  in 
the  air,  and  the  angel  Maroni  and  hosts  of 
the  slain  Lamanites." 


196  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

"  You  expect  too  much.  Such  visions  as 
Mr.  Smith  had  came  but  at  the  beginning  to 
attest  his  mission  and  give  him  confidence." 

"  Tut!  I  should  think  he  had  sufficient  of 
that  commodity.  It  is  I  who  require  the  con 
fidence,  and  have  I  come  too  late?  " 

"  I  would  question,  if  it  did  not  appear 
unkind,  why  you  have  come  at  all?  " 

"  Bless  you,  it's  relations,  not  revelations, 
that  I  came  after." 

*'  I  fear  that  Angel  will  not  be  satisfied 
with  that  attitude,"  Susannah  sighed.  She 
supposed  that  Elvira  represented  all  too 
well  the  attitude  of  educated  minds  in  that 
far-off  world  whose  existence  she  tried  to 
forget. 

"  Therefore,"  said  Elvira,  "  I  will  board 
with  the  Smiths." 

Elvira's  whim  to  be  received  into  the 
prophet's  family  could  not  be  carried  out,  but 
by  persistency  she  succeeded  in  establishing 
herself  in  the  household  of  Hyrum  Smith, 
where  she  distinguished  herself  by  two  pecul 
iarities — a  refusal  to  marry  any  of  the  saintly 
bachelors  who  were  proposed  to  her,  and  a 
perpetual  good-natured  delight  in  all  that  she 
saw  and  heard.  She  resisted  baptism,  but 
to  Susannah's  surprise,  remained  on  per 
fectly  friendly  terms  with  the  leaders  of  the 
sect. 

The  next  two  years  passed  quietly  in  Kirt- 
land.  Susannah,  imbued,  as  indeed  were  all 
Smith's  friends,  with  his  belief  that  the  peace 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  197 

was  but  for  a  time,  cherished  her  husband  as 
though  death  were  near,  and  grieved  him  by 
no  outward  nonconformity  to  pious  practices. 
Many  chance  comments  which  she  made  were 
straws  which  might  have  shown  him  the  way 
the  current  of  her  thought  tended  under 
neath  her  habitual  silence,  but  they  showed 
him  nothing.  It  was  mortifying  to  her  to 
observe  that  Smith,  rarely  as  he  saw  her,  was 
always  cognisant  of  her  mental  attitude,  while 
her  husband  remained  ignorant. 

Susannah  gave  up  the  girlish  habit  of 
fencing  with  facts  that  it  appeared  modest  to 
ignore.  She  was  perfectly  aware  that  she  ex 
ercised  a  distinct  influence  over  the  prophet, 
of  what  sort  or  degree  she  could  not  deter 
mine.  Little  as  she  desired  this  influence,  she 
could  not  withhold  a  puzzled  admiration  for 
Smith's  conduct.  He  rarely  spoke  to  her  ex 
cept  in  the  most  meagre  and  formal  way,  and 
all  his  decrees  which  tended  for  her  elevation 
in  the  eyes  of  the  community  or  for  her  per 
sonal  comfort  were  so  expressed  that  no  per 
sonal  bias  could  be  detected. 

She  asked  herself  if  Smith  practised  this 
self-restraint  for  conscience'  sake,  or  from  mo 
tives  of  policy,  or  whether  it  was  that  several 
distinct  selves  were  living  together  within 
him,  and  that  what  appeared  restraint  was  in 
reality  the  usual  predominance  of  a  part  of 
him  to  which  she  bore  little  or  no  relation. 
There  was  much  else  in  his  character  to  ad 
mire  and  much  to  condemn.  He  had  steadily 


198  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

improved  himself  in  education,  in  mental  dis 
cipline,  and  in  personal  appearance  and  ad 
dress.  He  could  hardly  now  be  thought  the 
same  man  as  when  he  had  first  preached  the 
new  doctrine  in  Manchester.  This  bespoke 
an  intense  and  unresting  ambition,  and  yet 
the  selfishness  that  is  the  natural  result  of  such 
ambition  was  absent.  As  far  as  his  arduous 
work  would  permit,  he  gave  himself  lavishly 
to  wife  and  child,  to  all  the  brethren,  rich  and 
poor,  when  they  asked  for  his  ministrations. 
The  motherless  babies  whom  he  had  helped 
Emma  to  nurse  through  their  infancy  had 
gone  back  to  their  father's  care,  but  there  was 
never  a  time  when  some  poor  child  or  desti 
tute  woman  was  not  a  member  of  his  house 
hold.  On  the  other  hand,  many  of  the  ac 
tions  of  his  public  life  were  questionable.  He 
had  established  a  bank  in  Kirtland,  of  which 
he  was  the  president.  Even  Halsey  admitted 
to  Susannah  that  this  was  a  great  mistake, 
that  the  bank  ought  to  have  been  under  the 
control  of  some  one  who  understood  money 
matters;  the  prophet  did  not.  He  had  also 
set  up  a  cloth  mill,  and  undertaken  to  farm 
a  large  tract  of  land  in  the  public  interest. 
The  prophet  showed  to  much  better  advan 
tage  when  instituting  new  religious  cere 
monies,  of  which  there  were  now  many  and 
curious,  or  when  giving  forth  "  revelations  " 
which  had  to  do  with  the  principles  of  econo 
my  rather  than  its  practical  details.  Susannah 
thought  that  the  voice  of  the  Gentiles  all 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  199 

around  them,  shouting  false  accusations  of 
greed  and  dishonesty,  would  sooner  or  later 
find  much  apparent  confirmation  if  no  finan 
cier  could  be  found  to  lay  a  firm  hand  upon 
the  prophet's  sanguine  tendency  toward  busi 
ness  speculation. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

IN  the  bleak  December  two  elders  came 
from  Zion,  the  holy  city  in  Missouri,  bringing 
the  history  of  dire  tribulation. 

It  was  a  cold  night;  the  first  snow  was 
falling  upon  the  wings  of  a  gale.  Susannah 
was  sitting  alone  quietly  working  out  prob 
lems  in  algebra,  in  which  study  Smith  had 
desired  that  her  elder  pupils  should  advance. 
The  storm  beat  upon  the  window  pane,  and 
set  the  bright  logs  of  the  fireplace  now  flam 
ing  and  now  smoking,  the  varnished  wooden 
walls  dimly  reflecting  light  and  shadow. 

Halsey  had  been  out  to  see  the  new 
comers,  who  were  staying  at  the  prophet's 
house.  It  was  late  when  she  heard  his  tread, 
muffled  in  the  drifted  snow.  He  hardly  paused 
to  shake  it  from  his  clothes  before  he  came 
near.  She  saw  that  he  was  in  a  mood  of 
strong  grief  and  excitement. 

"  Angel,"  she  spoke  pityingly,  "  you  have 
had  a  hard,  hard  day:  you  have  stayed  so  very 
late  at  this  evening's  conference."  She  held 
out  her  hand  to  him.  "  Do  not  tell  me  to 
night  if  you  can  rest  before  telling."  Young 
as  she  was,  her  countenance,  as  she  lifted  it 
200 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  201 

toward  him,  was  motherly.  She  remembered 
what  a  mere  boy  he  was,  fair  and  hopeful, 
when  she  had  first  seen  him  three  years  be 
fore,  and  now  strong  lines  of  purpose  and 
endurance  were  written  upon  the  face  that 
was  thin  and  pale,  the  paler,  it  seemed,  be 
cause  of  the  transient  colour  that  the  storm 
had  given  a  moment  since  to  the  clear  skin. 

"  I  would  that  thou  didst  not  need  to  hear, 
but  it  is  not  for  us  to  turn  our  eyes  from  that 
which  the  Lord  hath  written  for  our  instruc 
tion  in  the  suffering  of  our  brethren."  Then 
he  added,  "  The  elders  from  Zion  have  told 
us  all.  There  was  great  joy  and  prosperity 
among  them,  and  the  more  foolish  boasted 
of  their  wealth  to  the  Gentiles,  saying  also 
that  the  Lord  had  given  the  whole  land  to 
them  for  an  inheritance." 

"  That,  indeed,  was  very  foolish,"  said 
Susannah. 

"  Nay,  but  it  was  small  blame  to  them, 
for  that  which  they  said  is  true.  But  among 
the  Gentiles  the  political  demagogues  began 
to  be  afraid  that  we  should  rule  the  country 
by  the  number  of  our  votes.  The  Gentiles 
gathered  together  in  the  town  of  Independ 
ence,  and  three  hundred  of  them  signed  a 
declaration  demanding  that  every  one  in  Zion 
should  sell  all  that  he  possessed  and  leave  the 
country  within  a  certain  time,  and  that  none 
other  of  us  should  settle  there." 

"  But  forced  sale  would  mean  that  no  fair 
value  would  be  given  for  the  property;  it 


202  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

would  be  simple  robbery,"  she  cried;  "and 
they  call  this  the  land  of  freedom!  " 

"  They  appealed  to  the  Governor  of  Mis 
souri,  but  they  found  that  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  a  man  called  Boggs,  was  among 
the  fiercest  of  the  persecutors.  As  for  the 
Governor  himself,  he  advised  them  to  resort 
to  the  courts  for  damages." 

"  What  next?  "  She  was  impatient  at  a 
pause  he  made. 

He  knelt  down  upon  the  floor  in  front  of 
her,  laying  a  calming  hand  upon  her  shoul 
der.  "  Susannah,  there  is  this  one  great  cause 
for  our  deep  gratitude  to  heaven,  that  this 
time  all  our  elders  with  one  voice  called  upon 
our  people  to  bear  with  patience,  to  cry  to 
God  to  cleanse  their  hearts  from  all  anger  and 
revenge." 

"  I  suppose  that  was  well,"  she  said,  but 
with  hesitation. 

By  the  gentle  pressure  of  his  hand  he  still 
expressed  his  sympathy  for  her  pain  in  listen 
ing.  "  Lawyers  were  engaged  to  carry  the 
matter  through  the  courts.  But  no  sooner 
was  it  known  that  the  thing  was  to  be  public 
ly  tried  than  the  Gentiles  rose  in  arms.  For 
three  nights  they  entered  the  houses  of  the 
Saints,  beating  the  men,  burning  their  barns, 
and  in  many  cases  unroofing  the  houses. 
Some  of  our  brethren  went  to  Lexington  for 
a  peace  warrant,  but  the  judge  was  frightened 
at  the  mob,  and,  moreover,  if  he  had  offended 
them  he  would  have  lost  much  money,  so  he 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  203 

told  the  Saints  to  arm  and  defend  them 
selves." 

Halsey  had  paused  again.  The  moral 
question  here  involved  was  to  him  of  deep 
importance. 

"  If  it  was  only  for  self-defence,  An 
gel "  she  began. 

He  shook  his  head.  "  Nay,  it  was  a  fierce 
temptation,  and  our  people  are  not  yet  sancti 
fied,  but  God  in  his  great  mercy  withheld 
them  from  sinning  against  him.  For  they 
had  no  sooner  obtained  arms  than  Lilburn 
Boggs,  the  Lieutenant-Governor,  came  and 
disarmed  them." 

"  And  then?  " 

"  Our  people  were  driven  from  their 
homes.  In  the  cold  storms  of  November, 
women  and  little  children  and  wounded  men 
were  forced  to  flee  out  upon  the4  open  prairie, 
and  up  and  down  the  banks  of  the  Missouri 
River.  At  last  they  gathered  together  on  the 
river-side,  and  many  of  them  have  now  crossed 
it,  remaining  in  the  opposite  county,  and  the 
others  have  dispersed,  poor  and  homeless, 
into  less  unfriendly  parts  of  the  State.  These 
elders  have  come  here  that  the  prophet  may 
send  back  some  revelation  at  their  hand,  and 
that  we  may  all  gather  together  what  we  can 
spare  from  our  abundance  for  the  relief  of  our 
fugitive  brethren." 

His  eyes  were  shining  with  triumphant 
faith,  even  though  the  close  of  his  narrative 
seemed  to  admit  of  so  little  hope. 


204  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

"  And  will  Mr.  Smith  still  teach  them  that 
they  must  not  strike  a  blow  for  their  rights?  " 
she  asked. 

This  was  fast  becoming  the  critical  ques 
tion  of  the  hour. 

In  February  the  snow  lay  deep  on  the 
land.  Susannah,  like  all  her  neighbours,  spent 
some  days  isolated  by  the  drifts,  the  men  only 
going  abroad.  On  one  of  these  afternoons 
the  prophet  tapped  at  her  door.  His  visit 
in  Halsey's  absence  was  unprecedented. 

Without  preface  he  began  to  make  a  state 
ment  as  to  the  affairs  of  the  Church  in  Mis 
souri. 

"  The  greater  part  of  our  fugitive  brethren 
have  at  my  desire  gathered  together  upon  a 
large  tract  of  uncleared  land  that  lies  just 
across  the  river  from  Zion.  It  is  the  desire 
of  the  Lord  that  they  should  there  await  until 
it  is  his  will  to  open  the  gates  of  Zion  once 
more." 

"  It  is  your  desire  that  they  should  gather 
and  wait  there." 

She  spoke  with  no  rude  emphasis,  but  he 
understood.  This  man  could  read  her  thought 
before  it  was  expressed.  He  pushed  his  thick 
hair  from  his  forehead  with  a  heavy  hand. 

"  Understand,  Mrs.  Halsey,  that  I  believe 
the  voice  of  the  Lord  has  spoken,  but  it  is 
also  my  desire." 

"  Does  the  voice  of  the  Lord  ever  speak 
but  in  accordance  with  your  desire?  " 

The  answer  burst  from  him  with  almost 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  205 

hysterical  force,  "  I  would  to  heaven  it  did 
not." 

"  But  in  such  cases  are  not  your  desires 
divided  against  themselves?  and  the  word 
of  the  Lord  comes  perhaps  in  accordance 
with  one  desire  and  in  contradiction  of  an 
other?  " 

He  sat  for  some  time  looking  absently 
upon  the  floor. 

"  The  things  of  the  Lord,"  he  said,  "  are 
of  vast  importance,  and  require  time  and  ex 
perience,  as  well  as  deep  and  solemn  thought, 
to  find  them  out.  And  if  we  would  bring 
the  world  to  salvation  it  requires  that  our 
minds  should  rise  to  the  highest,  and  also 
search  into  and  contemplate  the  lowest 
abyss  " — he  paused  for  a  moment,  and  then 
added  in  sad  undertone — "  that  is  within  our 
own  hearts." 

Susannah  was  silent,  wondering  what  was 
the  true  secret  of  his  elusive  thought. 

He  went  on  with  an  effort.  "  Accepting 
your  own  words,  Mrs.  Halsey,  that  it  is  at 
my  desire  that  they  are  there  instead  of  being 
scattered  among  friendly  settlements  where 
they  could  obtain  support,  it  remains  true  that 
they  are  naked,  hungry,  and  cold.  When  I 
sleep  the  vision  of  their  sufferings  comes  be 
fore  me."  He  went  on  again  with  more  ve 
hemence.  "  It  is  also  by  obeying  my  doc 
trine  that  they  are  cast  out  of  their  own  lands 
and  from  their  own  hearths.  Whether  the 
Lord  hath  spoken  or  no,  it  is  by  obeying  the 


206  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

doctrines  that  I  have  taught  that  they  are  in 
wretchedness."  He  rose,  pacing  the  room, 
apparently  unconscious  of  what  he  did. 

"  I  know  that  this  has  been  weighing  upon 
you,  as  it  has  upon  my  husband." 

He  shook  his  head  impatiently,  striking 
his  breast  suddenly  with  one  hand.  "  There 
is  but  one  heart,"  he  said,  "  in  which  the  pains 
and  sorrows  of  them  all  are  gathered." 

She  began  to  see  that  he  had  a  plan  to 
unfold. 

At  length  he  stopped  in  his  pacing,  look 
ing  toward  her.  "  We  must  go  to  their  re 
lief,"  he  said.  "  We  must  gather  an  army  and 
conduct  our  suffering  brethren  back  to  their 
homes  in  Zion." 

"  By  force  of  arms?  "  she  asked. 

"  If  need  be." 

He  left  time  for  the  significance  of  these 
words  to  be  fully  comprehended,  and  then 
went  on  speaking  as  he  paced  again.  "  It 
may  be  that  we  will  not  need  to  fight,  that  if 
we  get  ourselves  in  readiness  we  shall  need 
but  to  stand  still  and  see  the  salvation  of  the 
Lord;  and  in  plain  language  to  you,  who  ex 
pect  no  miracle,  Mrs.  Halsey,  I  would  be  un 
derstood  to  say  that  if  a  sufficient  number  of 
our  strong  men,  armed  for  defence,  join  our 
brethren  in  Missouri,  the  Gentiles  will  be 
afraid  to  attack." 

At  last   she  asked,   not  without   excited 
tremor  in  her  voice,  "  Who?      How  many? 
When?  " 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  207 

These  were  important  questions  with  re 
gard  to  the  organising  of  an  army,  but  the 
prophet  had  in  mind  a  point  that  must  pre 
viously  be  determined. 

"  Your  husband,"  he  began  abruptly,  "  he 
has  still  upon  him  the  taint  of  his  Quaker  up 
bringing,  for  the  Lord  Christ  indeed  taught 
long-suffering,  and  he  sent  them  out  at  first, 
as  we  also  have  sent  our  missionaries,  with 
nothing  in  their  hand  save  a  staff  only,  but 
afterwards  he  said, '  Let  him  that  hath  a  sword 
take  it,'  and  they  said  unto  him,  '  Lord,  here 
are  two  swords,'  and  he  said,  '  It  is  enough,' 
which  I  take  to  mean  that  where  one  sword 
is  raised  there  must  be  another  to  ward  off 
a  blow  or  to  strike  in  return.  But  your  hus 
band  is  teaching  the  people  that  to  bear  arms, 
even  in  self-defence,  is  wrong." 

Susannah  saw  that  already  in  Smith's  in 
domitable  will  the  era  of  armed  defence  had 
begun.  Her  hatred  of  the  persecution  caused 
her  sentiments  to  chime  with  his.  She  only 
said  in  defence  of  Halsey's  meekness,  "  My 
husband  would  have  gone  before  now  to  give 
himself  and  all  that  he  has  to  help  these  poor 
people  if  you  had  not  interfered,  Mr.  Smith." 

A  change  of  expression  came  in  a  mo 
ment  over  Smith's  hulking  form,  as  if  a  dif 
ferent  phase  of  him  came  forward  to  deal  with 
a  change  of  subject.  He  turned  upon  her 
almost  sharply,  "  There  is  one  man  in  Kirt- 
land  who  shall  not  go  to  Zion  till  peace  is 
there.  If  he  went,  would  he  not  of  his  own 


208  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

accord  rush  into  the  forefront,  into  the  hot 
test  of  the  battle,  not  to  fight  but  to  receive 
the  sword  in  his  breast  and  be  slain,  even  as 
Uriah  the  Hittite  was  slain?  Wherefore,  I 
say  unto  you,  he  shall  not  go." 

Susannah,  like  all  good  women,  had  no 
keenness  of  scent  for  scandals,  ancient  or  mod 
ern.  She  did  not  remember  who  Uriah  was, 
and  took  no  offence. 

The  prophet  had  tarried  in  his  pacing  by 
the  window;  with  hands  clasped  behind  him 
he  was  looking  absently  out  upon  the  driven 
snow.  Upon  his  face  was  an  expression  which 
Susannah  only  sometimes  saw,  and  that  in  the 
moments  which  she  felt  to  be  his  best.  She 
believed  this  man  to  have  true  moments  of 
humility  and  high  resolve;  it  was  only  a  ques 
tion  with  her  how  far  they  permeated  his  life. 
In  a  minute  more  he  turned  again  and  spoke 
modestly  and  sadly  enough. 

"  As  I  have  said  before,  it  is  not  in  me  to 
greatly  love  our  brother  Halsey's  manner  of 
thought,  but  I  perceive  his  holiness  and  the 
Church  shall  not  lack  his  counsel.  I  am  here 
to-day  to  tell  you  how  much  it  grieves  me 
to  set  a  constraint  upon  his  conscience,  yet  I 
am  here  also  to  ask  you  to  tell  him  from  me 
that  it  is  not  the  will  of  the  Lord  that  he 
should  continue  to  preach  against  the  spirit 
of  self-defence." 

When  he  was  gone  Susannah  realised  how 
angry  she  would  have  been  if  she  had  heard 
that  Smith  had  rebuked  her  husband  on  this 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 


209 


subject,  yet  now  that  the  fiat  lay  in  her  own 
hands  to  impart  with  all  gentleness,  the  task, 
because  of  her  own  fierce  attitude  toward  the 
oppression,  was  grateful  to  her. 

When  the  roof  had  been  set  on  the  white 
walls  of  the  first  great  Mormon  temple  upon 
Kirtland  Bluff,  a  small  army,  well  armed,  well 
provisioned,  went  out  from  Kirtland  for  the 
deliverance  of  Zion  amid  the  prayers  and  huz- 
zahs  of  the  little  community.  There  were 
many  who,  like  Halsey,  bewailed  in  secret  this 
taking  of  the  sword,  but  the  doctrine  of  non- 
resistance  was  never  preached  again. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

AFTER  this  Susannah's  attention  was  cen 
tred  upon  the  coming  of  her  first  child. 

"  'Tain't  lucky  to  have  a  child  when  the 
leaves  are  falling,"  said  Elvira  Halsey,  a  cer 
tain  mist  of  far-off  vision  clouding  her  spark 
ling  eyes. 

Susannah  had  been  greatly  weighed  down 
by  depression,  not  fearing  ill-luck,  but  regret 
ting  for  the  first  time  unfeignedly  that  she 
had  ever  joined  herself  to  the  sect  in  which 
her  child  must  now  be  nurtured.  For  her 
self,  feeling  often  that  all  religions  were  equal 
ly  false,  it  had  mattered  little;  with  strange 
inconsistency  she  now  perceived  that  she 
would  greatly  prefer  another  faith  for  her 
child.  Susannah  literally  found  no  place  for 
repentance;  to  confess  her  grief  to  Halsey 
would  only  have  been  to  crush  out  all  the  do 
mestic  joy  of  his  life;  she  was  too  courageous 
to  do  that  when  she  saw  no  corresponding 
good  to  be  gained.  Yet  when  the  baby  at 
length  lay  on  her  lap,  grew  and  smiled,  kicked 
and  crowed,  Susannah  forgot  at  times,  for 
hours  together,  the  superstitions  of  the  Lat 
ter-Day  Saints.  The  motherly  solicitude 

210 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  2II 

which  she  had  long  exercised  over  Halsey 
changed  into  something  more  like  friendship 
when  she  saw  him  hang  over  her  and  her 
child  as  they  played  together. 

Susannah  had  given  up  her  school.  The 
winter  was  severe,  and  mother  and  child 
hibernated  together  by  the  sweet-scented 
pinewood  fires  till  the  stronger  sun  had 
melted  the  frost  flowers  on  the  panes.  Spring 
had  nearly  come  before  Susannah  divined  that 
for  the  child's  sake  Halsey  had  been  protect 
ing  her  for  months  from  the  fear  of  a  near 
disaster  that  was  weighing  upon  his  own 
heart. 

This  was  the  year  of  what  was  called  in 
the  early  Mormon  Church  "  the  great  apos 
tasy."  One  evening  Halsey  came  in  looking 
so  white  and  ill  that  Susannah  drew  back  the 
baby,  which  she  had  held  out  for  his  evening 
kiss. 

In  a  few  minutes  she  understood  what 
had  occurred.  Some  four  or  five  leaders  in 
the  Church,  with  their  families  and  friends, 
had  charged  Smith  with  hypocrisy  and  fraud. 

It  was  not  Susannah's  own  opinion  that 
such  a  charge  could  be  maintained.  Smith 
appeared  to  her  to  be  like  a  child  playing 
among  awful  forces — clever  enough  often  to 
control  them,  to  the  amazement  of  himself 
and  others,  but  never  comprehending  the 
force  he  used;  often  naughty;  on  the  whole 
a  well-intentioned  child.  But  she  could  well 
see  that  childishness  combined  with  power  is 


212  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

a  more  difficult  conception  for  the  common 
mind  than  rank  hypocrisy. 

Angel  had  been  assisting  in  a  solemn  ex 
communication  of  the  apostates.  He  looked 
upon  them  as  having  been  overcome  by  the 
devil. 

After  this  Halsey  instituted  a  series  of  un 
usual  meetings  for  prayer  and  revival  preach 
ing,  which  he  held  after  the  ordinary  evening 
classes  in  the  School  of  the  Prophets,  which 
was  now  removed  to  the  upper  chambers  of 
the  finished  temple.  Now,  as  at  other  times, 
his  preaching  was  successful.  His  power  was 
with  men  rather  than  with  women;  they  gath 
ered  in  excited  crowds,  and  their  prayer  and 
praise  went  up  in  the  midnight  hour. 

Susannah  was  not  in  the  habit  of  going 
to  bed  till  her  husband  returned.  One  night, 
after  twelve  had  struck,  while  she  sat  warm 
ing  the  dimpled  feet  of  her  restless  babe  at 
the  rosy  fire-light,  she  was  greatly  astonished 
to  hear  a  tapping,  low  but  distinct,  on  a  win 
dow  that  opened  to  the  back  of  the  house. 
She  lifted  her  head  as  mother  animals  prick 
their  ears  above  their  young  at  the  faint  sound 
of  any  danger. 

After  an  interval  the  tap  was  repeated; 
it  was  no  accidental  noise.  Susannah  laid  the 
child  in  its  cradle  and  went  nearer  the  win 
dow  shutters,  hesitating. 

She  knew  only  too  well  that  this  secrecy 
was  the  sign  of  some  one's  dire  distress.  She 
knew  the  habits  of  the  people;  a  neighbour's 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  213 

aid  was  sought  freely  and  with  confidence; 
doors  were  open  at  all  times  to  need  or  social 
intercourse. 

To  her  intent  listening  the  accents  of 
a  low  and  guarded  tone  came  in  reply 
to  her  challenge  ;  the  voice  was  Joseph 
Smith's. 

Susannah  looked  with  anguish  toward  her 
child's  cradle.  Had  some  army  of  mad  perse 
cutors  invested  Kirtland?  Nothing  less  than 
fierce  persecution  could  be  thus  heralded. 

For  years  Susannah  had  known  Smith  as 
a  near  neighbour,  and  the  stuff  of  which  the 
man  was  at  this  time  made  is  indicated  by  the 
fact  that  instinctively  she  opened  the  window 
with  noiseless  haste. 

Smith  climbed  in.  "  Has  Halsey  re 
turned?  " 

The  fire  gave  the  only  light  in  the 
room.  Smith  did  not  shut  the  window,  but 
remained  sitting  on  the  sill.  A  bake-house 
at  the  back  hid  the  place  from  neighbouring 
eyes. 

"  It's  all  up  with  our  bank,"  said  Smith. 

"  I  feared  so,"  said  Susannah. 

"  The  apostates  took  such  a  lot  of  money 
out  of  it.  No  bank  anywhere  in  this  region 
could  have  stood  it.  You  have  always  been 
down  on  our  management  of  the  bank,  Mrs. 
Halsey,  but  if  it  was  not  good,  why  then  have 
so  many  of  the  Gentiles  put  in  their  money, 
and  why  have  they  taken  our  notes  all  over 
the  State? " 


214  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

"  You  never  had  the  capital  you  adver 
tised." 

"  We  have  land  that  stands  for  it." 

"  It  is  not  worth  half  what  you  value  it  at." 

Then  Susannah  became  sorry  for  her  sharp 
recrimination.  Punishment  had  befallen;  it 
was  a  time  for  mutual  help,  not  for  reproach. 
She  saw  that  although  Smith  kept  himself 
calm  he  was  greatly  stirred. 

"  Why  are  you  here?  "  she  asked. 

Smith's  huge  frame  was  poised  awkward 
ly  on  the  window  sill.  He  moved  restlessly 
and  touched  one  thing  and  another  with  nerv 
ous  hands.  Then  he  said  with  a  short  laugh, 
"  The  size  of  it  is,  I'm  running  away,  Mrs. 
Halsey.  Ye  may  think  I  feel  pretty  mean, 
but  ye'll  do  me  the  justice  just  to  think  how 
it  is.  If  they'd  shoot  me  in  fair  fight,  I'd  go 
and,  if  it  were  the  Lord's  will,  be  shot  to 
morrow,  and  be  thankful  too;  but  ye  know 
the  sort  of  vengeance  they'll  take.  I  have 
been  beaten  time  and  again  before  now,  and 
covered  with  pitch,  and  I've  been  knocked 
down  and  kicked  and  ducked  in  ponds  a  good 
many  times,  as  ye  know,  and  I  ain't  ashamed 
to  say  that  I'm  afraid  of  that  sort  of  thing 
and  afraid  of  the  results  on  Emmar  and  the 
children.  If  the  Lord  clearly  told  that  'twas 
his  will  to  stay  and  stand  it,  why  then  I'd  have 
no  choice,  but  I  haven't  had  no  word  from 
the  Lord." 

His  face  was  livid;  in  the  effort  to  make 
his  explanation,  whether  shaken  by  the  recol- 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  215 

lections  he  described  or  by  fear  of  her  con 
tempt,  she  saw  that  his  limbs  were  actually 
trembling  as  if  with  cold. 

"  There  ain't  many  men,  Mrs.  Halsey,  as 
would  stay  and  face  that  sort  of  music  when 
they  could  get  away,  but  if  it  was  to  do  good 
to  mortal  creature  I'd  think  about  staying, 
but  it's  t'other  way.  It's  me  and  Rigdon  as 
has  been  advertised  as  working  the  bank;  it's 
my  blood  and  his  the  Gentiles  that  have  our 
notes  are  thirsting  for.  Suppose  we  stayed 
and  they  took  to  mauling  us  again,  wouldn't 
the  Saints  here  take  to  fighting  to  protect  us? 
I've  taught  them  to  fight  in  self-defence  and 
they'd  fight  to  defend  me.  God  knows  there 
are  better  men  than  we  are  that  would  be 
killed  right  and  left  if  we  stayed,  and  'twould 
be  no  use,  for  the  Gentile  numbers  would 
overpower  us.  'Tain't  no  use.  When  I  found 
to-day  that  there  wasn't  a  chance  of  staving 
off  the  bankruptcy  I  sent  Emmar  and  the  chil 
dren  and  Rigdon's  folks  off  in  a  close  waggon 
after  sundown.  Rigdon's  rid  off  by  another 
road,  and  I've  got  my  horse  ready  and  ought 
to  be  gone.  And  there  ain't  a  man  in  Kirt- 
land  as  will  know  which  way  we've  gone  by 
to-morrow,  so  that  no  Saint  will  need  to  do 
any  lying  on  my  account." 

"  You  are  very  sorry  for  the  mistakes  you 
have  made  about  the  bank,"  she  said  pity 
ingly. 

He  gave  another  short  laugh  that,  like 
the  first,  was  less  like  a  laugh  than  a  sob. 
15 


2l6  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

"  I  guess  I'm  sorry  enough,  but  I  don't 
know  whether  it's  repentance,  for  I  thought 
I'd  done  all  just  what  the  Lord  told  me  to 
do,  but  at  times  like  these  I'm  not  so  sure 
of  the  revelations  I  hear  in  my  soul,  but  I 
know  I  thought  I  was  right  at  the  time;  but 
as  for  being  sorry,  if  ye  had  the  burden  of  all 
these  children  of  Israel  in  the  desert  on  your 
heart,  knowing  that  ye  had  brought  them  into 
the  desert,  and  brought  the  hunger  and  the 
thirst  and  the  pestilence  and  the  enemy  upon 
them,  and  weren't  quite  sure  at  times  whether 
the  thing  that  ye  saw  leading  was  the  Lord's 
pillar  of  cloud  or  the  devil's,  and  if  ye  was  now 
being  cast  out  before  the  face  of  men  and 
called  a  liar  and  a  swindler,  and  without  a 
dollar  in  the  world,  I  guess  ye'd  know  what 
it  felt  like  to  feel  sorry." 

The  room  was  a  long  one;  in  the  fore  part 
the  glow  from  the  hearth  made  clear  the 
baby's  cradle,  the  table  set  for  Halsey's  sup 
per,  the  close  shutters  of  the  front  windows, 
but  the  red  flame  rays  were  fainter  as  they 
came  into  this  back  portion  where  Susannah 
stood  in  dull  distress  a  few  paces  from  the 
stricken  intruder. 

This  man  had  always  the  power  at  close 
quarters  of  producing  strange  disturbance 
in  the  emotions  of  his  friends.  Susannah 
was  trembling,  her  heart  heaving,  if  not  with 
pure  compassion,  at  least  with  wild  excite 
ment  on  his  account. 

With  an  effort   Smith  held  himself  still, 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  217 

but  gave  again  the  heart-broken  laugh  that 
appealed  more  than  all  else  to  her  woman's 
heart.  "  'Tain't  all  that  neither,  that  makes 
me  the  most  '  sorry/  as  ye  call  it.  I  tried 
to  go  in  and  out  before  this  people,  Mrs.  Hal- 
sey,  loving  and  serving  all  alike  as  a  prophet 
should,  but  I  wouldn't  be  human  man,  no, 
nor  fit  to  be  chosen  by  God  for  the  honour 
he's  put  upon  me,  if  I  didn't  know  who 
amongst  us  was  most  worth  care  and  respect, 
and  it's  come  to  my  soul  this  night,  now  that 
I  can't  no  longer  stand  between  you  and  all 
the  dangers  that  beset  our  people  in  the  wil 
derness,  that  I  wasn't  right,  maybe,  to  egg  on 
Halsey  to  take  ye  away  from  your  happy 
home,  or  to  make  a  point  as  I  did,  first  off, 
of  getting  ye  converted — for  I  was  more  set 
on  it  than  I  showed  at  the  time.  It's  because 
'twas  my  doing  you  married,  that  I've  come 
to  say  this;  and  I  see  well  enough  that  'taiirt 
love  that  is  between  you  and  Halsey,  though 
you  are  too  tender  of  him  to  let  him  see." 

She  made  a  movement  of  the  head,  an  ef 
fort  to  show  reproving  dignity,  while  in  fact 
taken  by  surprise,  her  nerves  in  distressful 
panic,  she  had  scarce  the  power  to  control 
herself,  none  to  control  him. 

He  answered  her  impulse,  although  he  had 
not  looked  up  to  see  the  gesture.  "  Ye  haven't 
got  any  call  to-night  to  be  offended  with  me, 
for  I'm  worth  no  more,  unless  the  Lord  see 
fit  to  lift  me  up  agen,  than  the  paper  our  bank 
notes  is  written  on;  and  I  have  just  got  one 


2i8  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

more  thing  to  say,  then  I'm  gone.  If  there's 
any  grit  in  Joseph  Smith,  and  if  it  pleases  God 
that  he's  not  going  now  to  his  death,  he'll  not 
make  another  home  for  himself  without  pro 
viding  as  good  a  place  for  you  and  the  young 
one.  Ye  may  depend  on  it." 

He  rose  up  now.  "  'Tain't  no  use  disguis 
ing  facts;  I'm  running  away,  and  I'm  leaving 
ye  to  dangers  and  privations.  Your  money 
and  Halsey's  is  gone  the  way  of  all  the  rest, 
and  without  me  to  stop  him  Halsey  will  fly 
in  the  face  of  the  first  persecution  that's  with 
in  his  reach.  If  I  hadn't  known  that  there 
was  no  chance  at  all  of  your  coming  I'd  have 
asked  you  and  the  child  to  git  into  Emmar's 
waggon;  but  there's  just  this  to  say,  there 
ain't  a  tribulation  that  can  come  to  you  that 
won't  hurt  me,  living  or  dead,  more  than  it 
can  hurt  you."  Then  after  a  pause  he  added, 
"  Emmar  sent  her  dear  love  and  good-bye  to 
ye." 

He  stood  still  a  moment  before  her  in 
humble  attitude,  the  words  of  Emma's  tender 
farewell  lingering,  as  it  were,  in  the  air  be 
tween  them. 

"  Have  a  care  what  you  do."  (He  re 
sumed  a  more  dignified  manner  of  speech.) 
"  It's  borne  in  upon  my  mind  that  great  dan 
gers  will  lie  round  you.  Tell  brother  Halsey 
from  me  that  it  is  the  will  of  the  Lord  that 
he  should  seek  first  the  safety  of  his  wife  and 
child,  and  to  abide  in  a  place  of  safety  till  the 
child  be  grown." 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 


2I9 


He  climbed  through  the  window.  His 
last  act  was  to  close  the  casement  behind  him 
to  save  her  trembling  hands  the  exertion.  His 
movements  must  have  been  very  stealthy,  for 
she  did  not  hear  the  sound  of  his  steps  or  the 
steps  of  his  horse  in  the  silent  night. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

AFTER  Smith  left  Kirtland  there  was  a 
great  exodus  Missouri-ward  of  his  more  de 
vout  followers.  The  army  which  had  gone 
out  from  Kirtland  in  '34  to  the  rescue  of  the 
fugitives  from  the  city  of  Zion  in  Missouri 
had  failed,  through  disease  and  exhaustion, 
to  make  warlike  demonstration;  but  the  prin 
ciple  then  accepted  by  the  children  of  Zion 
of  opposing  force  to  force  in  self-defence,  had 
been  bearing  fruit  ever  since  in  a  bloody  war 
fare  between  the  hunted  Saints  of  Missouri 
and  their  more  powerful  neighbours. 

Before  the  Saints  took  up  arms  the  Mis- 
sourians  had,  it  would  seem,  no  real  ground 
of  offence  against  them  except  the  religious 
faith  which  led  them  to  proclaim  that  the  land 
was  to  be  given  to  them  by  the  Lord  for  an 
everlasting  possession.  Now  this  provoca 
tion  was  still  in  force,  added  to  the  greater 
one  that  the  worm  had  turned. 

So  futile  had  been  the  mad  persecutions, 
so  fruitful  the  blood  of  the  martyrs,  that  by 
this  time  there  were  some  ten  thousand  Saints 
in  Missouri,  all  heads  of  families,  for  although 
Zion  in  Jackson  County  still  lay  waste,  and 
the  colonies  of  Clay  County  had  been  swept 

220 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  221 

away,  the  cities  of  Far  West  and  Diahman, 
and  numerous  villages  near  them,  had  risen 
like  magic,  built  by  the  thrift,  the  organisa 
tion,  and  the  temperance  of  the  Saints. 

As  for  Kirtland,  the  hope  of  making  it 
a  prosperous  city  had  died  with  the  failure 
of  the  bank.  Of  the  few  who  remained  two 
distinct  parties  were  formed — the  orthodox, 
headed  by  Halsey,  and  the  reformers,  encour 
aged,  if  not  headed,  by  the  former  leaders 
who  were  now  apostate.  In  the  camp  of  the 
reformers  there  were  those  who  saw  visions 
and  had  revelations.  Before  this,  when  Smith 
was  at  the  helm,  it  had  been  counted  unlaw 
ful  for  any  but  himself  to  have  direct  dealings 
with  the  Unseen;  but  the  prophet  was  dis 
tant,  directing  the  sect  only  through  his  pub 
lished  journal,  and  in  this  case  it  were  hard 
indeed  if  no  authoritative  local  word  were 
spoken  in  the  orthodox  party.  Angel  Hal- 
sey's  mystic  soul  fell  easily  into  the  region 
of  voices  and  visions.  In  his  adversity,  fast 
ing  and  praying  more  than  ever  before,  he 
heard  voices  which  gave  practical  directions 
not  only  for  himself  but  for  his  neighbours. 
When  the  neighbours  refused  to  accept  these 
ghostly  counsels,  which  all  tended  toward  a 
more  rigorous  holiness,  there  was  no  room 
left  for  Halsey's  work  in  Kirtland.  He  deter 
mined  to  fare  forth  to  Missouri,  there  to  com 
fort  and  edify  the  Saints  scattered  abroad  in 
the  rural  districts. 

It  was  now  that  Susannah  expected  the 


222  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

sprightly  Elvira  Halsey,  still  unbaptized,  to 
return  to  the  east.  Instead  of  that  she  pro 
posed  to  travel  with  them,  helping  to  take 
care  of  the  child. 

"  Why  should  I  take  the  trouble  to  help 
you  and  the  young  un?  "  she  asked,  sitting 
on  Susannah's  doorstep,  languid  with  the 
heat.  "  When  I  was  going  along  the  lane 
last  night  I  met  a  spirit,  so  I  held  out  my 
hand  according  to  Joe's  latest.  You've  not 
heard!  My!  it's  in  the  Millenial  Star  that  if 
any  sort  of  a  voice  or  dream  comes  to  you, 
the  way  to  know  whether  it's  an  angel  or 
devil  is  to  shake  hands,  and  if  it  is  an  angel 
you'll  feel  a  good,  firm,  solid  grip  sort  of 
coming  out  of  nowhere,  but  if  it  isn't  an  angel 
you'll  feel  nothing.  It's  kind  of  Joe  to  put 
it  in  a  nutshell,  necessary  nowadays  that  we're 
all  hard  at  it  having  revelations  of  our  own. 
He  thought  that  nobody  would  feel  the  grip 
but  himself.  Quite  mistaken.  I  shook  hands 
with  my  angel,  tho'  I  couldn't  see  a  ghost 
of  him,  and  when  he  said,  '  You  come  along 
now  to  Missouri,  and  carry  the  child  half  way/ 
I  had  nothing* to  do  but  say  '  Amen.' ' 

But  Susannah  was  too  much  afraid  of 
what  the  result  of  private  revelations  might 
be  to  laugh  at  them;  she  expressed  her  fears. 

"  Bless  you,  all  the  dreams  and  '  voices  ' 
in  this  hustling  world  wouldn't  have  put  any 
guile  into  the  soul  of  Nathaniel,  and  they 
won't  into  Angel  Halsey's.  Saints  are  saints, 
sinners  are  sinners,  middling  folks  are  mid- 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  223 

dling,  just  the  same  whether  they  have  three 
'  revelations  '  a  day  apiece,  or  one  once  a  year, 
or  none  at  all.  You're  fretting  because  you 
think  a  righteous  man  might  do  something 
wicked,  thinking  that  the  voice  of  the  Lord 
had  told  him.  Not  a  bit  of  it!  The  Lord 
will  take  care  of  his  own  when  they're  a  lit 
tle  off  their  heads  just  as  much  as  at  any  other 
time." 

Whaf  few  worldly  goods  Susannah  chose 
to  keep  were  packed  in  two  single  waggons, 
Halsey  driving  the  one,  and  Elvira  and  Susan 
nah  by  turns  driving  the  other  and  holding 
trfle  child.  Their  long  journey  through  the 
month  of  June  was  the  most  perfect  pleasure 
that  Susannah  and  Angel  ever  enjoyed  to 
gether,  the  long  nightmare  of  the  last  months 
at  Kirtland  left  behind  for  ever,  the  stage  of 
the  future  veiled,  and  the  lineaments  of  natu 
ral  hope  painted  upon  the  drop-curtain.  A 
loving  fate  sent  fresh  showers  on  their  be 
hoof  during  the  nights,  which  laid  the  dust 
and  dressed  field  and  forest  in  their  daintiest 
array.  The  child,  who  had  been  pining  some-' 
what,  affected  by  the  anxiety  in  the  Kirtland 
home,  became  lusty  and  merry. 

"  If  it  wasn't  that  we  are  shortly  going  to 
be  robbed  of  all  we  possess  by  the  Missouri- 
ans,"  observed  Elvira,  "  this  sort  of  jog-trot 
comfort  would  become  too  monotonous,  but 
it  adds  spice  to  be  saying,  so  to  speak,  *  Hul- 
loa  there!  we've  come  to  be  persecuted  too/ 
Of  course  we'll  all  be  killed  to  begin  with,  but 


224  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

that's  a  detail;  after  that  we'll  take  our  rural 
mission  bespoken  for  us  in  the  dream." 

Susannah  actually  smiled  and  called  "  gee- 
up  "  to  the  horse. 

"  How  very  little  people  know,"  she  ob 
served,  "  who  talk  about  a  persecution  as  if 
it  would  be  a  means  of  grace.  There  is  noth 
ing  that  so  hardens  and  degrades  as  the  con 
stant  report  of  barbarities;  the  more  nearly 
seen,  the  more  closely  inspected,  the  worse  is 
the  moral  result." 

"  Speak  for  yourself,"  cooed  Elvira, 
"  there's  one  person  out  there  that  isn't  hard 
ened  and  degraded."  She  looked  with  rever 
ent  eyes  at  Angel,  who  was  walking  at  the 
head  of  the  foremost  horse,  crooning  a  psalm; 
"  and,  as  for  me,  I  still  feel  myself  quite  soft, 
almost  pulpy,  and  on  an  elevated  plane." 

"  You  could  never  talk  in  your  irreverent 
way  if  you  weren't  a  good  deal  hardened  and 
degraded,"  persisted  Susannah  affectionately, 
"  and,  as  for  me,  I  know  that  I  am.  Is  there 
any  instance  in  history  of  a  people  emerging 
from  prolonged  persecution  with  high  ideals 
of  love  toward  their  enemies  and  candour?  " 

"  'Tis  commonly  said  that  faith  rises  from 
this  fire,"  said  Elvira. 

"  Faith  that  gives  its  body  to  be  burned 
and  has  not  charity,"  said  Susannah. 

When  they  reached  the  vicinity  of  Diah- 
man  and  Far  West  the  State  elections  were 
about  to  be  held.  It  was  reported  that  over 
all  Missouri  the  stronger  party,  that  of  Lil- 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  225 

burn  Boggs,  was  threatening  to  prevent  by 
force  the  Mormon  vote. 

Before  commencing  his  mission  to  the 
outlying  Mormon  districts,  Halsey,  hoping 
to  avoid  this  contest,  stopped  in  the  Gentile 
town  of  Gallatin  to  rest  and  obtain  a  fresh 
outfit. 

"  But  why  don't  we  pay  our  respects  to 
'  Joe  '  now  we  are  within  reach?"  inquired 
Elvira  with  pensive  inflection. 

"  The  prophet  is  full  of  cares.  A  man 
whom  I  met  at  the  tavern  said  that  his  activ 
ity  on  behalf  of  the  Saints  in  Far  West  is 
amazing,  and  since  his  public  appearance  there 
the  Lord  has  prospered  the  city  exceedingly; 
but,  as  for  me,  I  have  been  commanded  to 
turn  aside  to  those  of  our  people  who  are  not 
encompassed  by  a  shepherd's  care." 

"  If  he  would  but  confess  it,"  said  Susan 
nah  with  a  sigh,  "  my  husband  was  so  sorely 
hurt  with  the  appearances  of  fraud  in  con 
nection  with  the  bank " 

"  Suppose  you  put  that  appearance  of  a 
child  down  and  come  and  eat  this  appearance 
of  your  breakfast,  and  then  we'll  put  on  what 
appear  to  be  our  bonnets,  and  go  for  what 
appears  to  be  a  walk."  Elvira's  sunny  seren 
ity  never  deserted  her.  "  Say  rather,"  she 
cried,  "  that  the  prophet  did  defraud,  but  has 
repented." 

That  day  was  the  6th  of  August.  The 
voting  for  the  State  legislature  had  com 
menced.  The  travellers  did  not  know  that 


226  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

there  was  any  number  of  Mormon  landhold 
ers  in  this  place,  but  now  they  could  not  ex 
tricate  themselves  from  the  very  contest  that 
they  had  hoped  to  avoid.  When  the  two 
women  strolled  through  the  streets  to  see  the 
town  they  became  involved  in  a  crowd  at  one 
of  the  polling  places. 

Penniston,  a  candidate  of  the  Boggs  party, 
standing  on  a  barrel,  was  haranguing  the 
crowd,  and  the  two  women  quickly  heard  the 
name  of  their  sect  mentioned  with  contumely. 

"  Shall  we,"  cried  Penniston,  "  allow  our 
State  to  come  under  the  control  of  Mormon 
horse-thieves  and  robbers  by  allowing  these 
outlaws  the  civil  rights  that  are  intended  only 
for  good  citizens?  " 

There  was  a  commotion  in  the  crowd  near 
him.  Susannah,  knowing  that  her  husband 
was  abroad,  felt  a  sudden  heart-sick  prophecy 
of  evil.  The  next  moment  she  saw  Halsey 
spring  into  sight  upon  a  low  wall  at  the  side 
of  the  crowd. 

"  Look  on  this  picture  and  on  this,"  cried 
Elvira  in  a  voice  audible  to  many  too  illiter 
ate  to  comprehend. 

The  two  men,  each  standing  erect  above 
the  heads  of  the  crowd,  could  not  have  showed 
sharper  contrast.  Penniston  was  coarse  of 
limb  and  feature;  a  low  grade  of  moral  dis 
order  stamped  his  face  as  clearly  as  inferior 
articles  are  ever  stamped;  no  inspector  of 
goods  so  relentless  as  God's  servant  Time! 
Halsey  had  bared  his  head  to  the  open  sky, 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  227 

as  though  invoking  the  presence  of  God  in 
his  temple.  Upon  features  too  thin  and  hag 
gard  for  beauty,  patience  and  love  and  truth 
were  written  by  every  line. 

Halsey's  voice,  accustomed  to  preaching, 
fell  with  clear  modulations  upon  the  summer 
air. 

"  '  Blessed  are  ye,  when  men  shall  perse 
cute  you,  and  shall  say  all  manner  of  evil 
against  you  falsely,  for  my  name's  sake  and 
the  gospel's.'  Friends,  this  evil  that  is  spoken 
against  us  whom  ye  call  Mormons  is  falsely 
spoken,  and  I  stand  here  before  you,  and  be 
fore  the  great  Father  of  Truth,  who  is  calling 
his  children  everywhere  to  repent,  to  say  that 
every  Mormon  who  has  a  vote  has  a  right  to 
exercise  it,  for  we  have  committed  none  of 
the  crimes  of  which  you  accuse  us,  but  you 
yourselves,  as  you  well  know,  are  many  of 
you  here  to  try  to  put  into  office  men  who 
are  undoubted  criminals." 

In  surprise  Penniston  and  his  hearers  had 
listened,  but  now  a  man,  half-drunk  perhaps, 
sprang  upon  the  low  wall  upon  which  Halsey 
stood,  and  struck  him  savagely. 

"  He  is  all  alone,"  cried  Susannah,  "  all 
alone  among  so  many."  She  tried  to  strug 
gle  forward  toward  her  husband  through  the 
crowd. 

Halsey  believed  himself  to  be  alone,  and 
it  was  not  in  accordance  with  his  principles 
to  make  any  attempt  to  return  the  violence 
by  which  he  had  been  assailed;  but  to  his  as- 


228  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

tonishment  now  a  stout  man  leaped  to  his 
assistance,  suddenly  belabouring  his  assailant 
with  blows,  and  from  far  and  near  in  the  crowd 
there  were  shouts  of  encouragement  from 
burly  Mormon  farmers  who  had  only  needed 
the  voice  of  a  leader  to  declare  themselves. 
Halsey  had  thrown  a  spark,  unconscious  that 
a  mass  of  powder  lay  near.  When  the  men  of 
Penniston's  party  turned  with  savage  fury 
upon  the  Mormon  who  was  beating  their  com 
panion,,  and  the  Mormons,  no  less  fierce,  ral 
lied  round  Halsey  and  his  defender,  the  fight 
became  general. 

Elvira  set  her  quick  wits  to  work  to  weave 
a  cord  that  would  be  strong  enough  to  draw 
Susannah  back  to  their  inn.  "  They  may  find 
out  that  baby  is  alone,"  she  said;  "they're 
wicked  enough  to  injure  him  out  of  revenge." 

Along  the  wooden  pavements  of  Gallatin, 
past  the  gaily-painted  wooden  houses,  through 
the  doors  of  which  whole  families  were  now 
emerging  to  ask  the  cause  of  disturbance, 
Susannah  fled  miserably,  her  cheeks  blanched 
beneath  her  veil,  her  heart  within  weeping. 

The  sun  was  shining  brightly  on  just  and 
unjust;  the  gardens  of  Gallatin  were  brilliant 
with  such  flowers  as  had  bloomed  in  the 
August  when  she  first  met  her  husband. 
Susannah  felt  then  that  the  reason  why  she 
desired  to  clasp  and  guard  the  sleeping  child 
she  had  left  was  that  he  was  Angel's  son;  the 
pity  for  injured  innocence  had  been  from  the 
first  until  now  her  strongest  passion,  and  at 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  229 

the  thought  of  Halsey,  innocent  and  gentle, 
in  the  midst  of  the  brutal  fight  she  had  left, 
her  soul  wept  as  it  were  the  scalding  tears  that 
her  eyes  refused  to  shed. 

The  boy  lay  in  rosy  sleep,  a  woman  of 
the  inn  keeping  a  kindly  eye  upon  him.  Prob 
ably  nothing  but  a  mother's  love  could  have 
fancied  him  of  sufficient  importance  to  attract 
public  attention,  but  Susannah,  locking  her 
door,  knelt  by  the  bed,  and  spreading  protect 
ing  arms  above  him,  listened  with  strained 
senses  for  news  of  Halsey 's  injury  or  death. 
For  years  she  had  feared  that  the  violence 
she  had  seen  wreaked  upon  others  would 
touch  her  husband;  violence  offered  to  her 
self  would  have  seemed  a  trivial  grief  in  com 
parison.  The  fear  that  has  long  harped  upon 
sore  nerves  has  a  cumulative  action  upon  the 
pain  of  its  realisation. 

Susannah  found  herself  giving  forth  short 
ejaculatory  whispers  of  prayer  upon  the  close 
air  of  the  plain,  small  room  in  which  she  knelt. 
It  was  such  prayer  only  as  we  come  at  by 
inheritance,  prayer  that  is  one  of  the  habits 
by  which  the  fittest  have  survived. 

Before  two  hours  were  past  Halsey  had 
returned.  He  was  bruised  and  much  shaken, 
but  appeared  unconscious  of  injury,  and  made 
light  of  it.  The  open  fight  had  ended  with 
no  decisive  victory  for  either  party;  the  chief 
result  appeared  to  be  .that  malice  on  either 
side  was  for  the  hour  exhausted.  Whether 
because  of  this  or  because  Halsey  gave  him- 


230  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

self  to  prayer  on  behalf  of  his  brethren,  the 
polls  were  opened  quietly  at  noon  and  the 
Mormons  voted  with  the  other  citizens. 

In  the  cool  of  the  evening  Susannah  was 
sitting  beside  her  husband  holding  the  sleep 
ing  child.  The  window  of  their  humble  room 
was  open,  not  to  any  broad,  fair  landscape 
such  as  their  eyes  were  accustomed  to  feast 
upon,  but  upon  the  yard  of  the  small  tavern. 
There  is,  however,  in  new  countries  no  crowd 
ing;  space,  like  air  and  sunshine,  is  the  com 
mon  heritage.  Grass  grew  round  the  edges 
of  the  large  yard,  and  an  old  white  horse 
was  cropping  it  contentedly.  A  cool  air  was 
blowing,  and  over  the  wooden  roofs  of  the 
town  stars  were  beginning  to  gather  them 
selves  from  out  the  pale  dusk.  An  old 
negro  and  two  mulatto  boys  were  sitting 
upon  a  log  at  the  side  of  one  of  the  sheds, 
quarrelling  and  singing  slave  melodies  by 
turns. 

Angel  took  the  hand  of  the  sleeping  child 
and  Susannah's  hand  and  folded  them  in  his 
own.  "  Susannah,  it  has  been  given  to  me 
to  see  this  afternoon  more  clearly  than  ever 
before  the  material  triumph  of  our  people. 
They  will  rear  high  cities;  they  will  lead 
armies;  they  will  command  wealth;  but  it  has 
also  been  shown  me  that  Zion  will  not  be,  as 
I  had  heretofore  believed,  pure  from  sin,  for 
evil  has  already  entered  into  her.  Because 
she  has  taken  the  sword  her  spiritual  warfare 
will  not  be  soon  accomplished;  the  wheat  and 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  231 

the  tares  shall  grow  together,  and  I  do  not 
yet  see  the  end." 

There  was  a  pause.  Susannah  watched 
the  slaves  taking  their  evening  ease  so  light- 
heartedly.  She  looked  down  at  the  three 
hands  which  Angel  had  gathered  together. 
The  dusk  was  beginning  to  make  all  things 
indistinct. 

Angel  went  on.  "  I  would  have  thee 
teach  the  child  above  all  things  the  unspeak 
able  wretchedness  of  sin,  for  the  least  sin 
closes  the  eye  of  the  soul  by  which  we  see 
God  and  the  things  of  God,  clogs  them  with 
the  dust  and  dirt  of  the  world ;  and  when  there 
is  no  more  any  clear  vision,  selfishness  is  mis 
taken  for  love,  malice  for  righteousness,  and 
folly  for  truth.  So  I  pray  thee,  dear  heart, 
be  wary,  and  slay  within  thyself  the  evil  na 
ture,  for  though  I  cannot  see  it,  perchance 
God  does;  and  teach  the  child  above  all  things 
from  the  first  to  fear  sin  more  than  death." 

"  You  shall  teach  him,  Angel." 

"  Dear  heart,  I  would  not  lay  upon  thee 
the  burden  of  knowledge  of  coming  sorrow 
if  I  dared  to  withhold  it,  but  I  believe,  Susan 
nah,  that  it  will  soon  be  given  to  me  to  die  for 
the  truth  and  for  our  people."  After  a  mo 
ment's  pause  he  went  on,  and  his  tone,  which 
had  dropped  involuntarily,  became  again 
cheerful.  "  That  is  why  I  have  to-day  deter 
mined  to  change  the  plan  that  we  have  made 
and  to  send  thee  and  the  child  to-morrow  with 
the  company  who  are  about  to  travel  to  Far 

16 


232  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

West,  where  the  prophet  is  now  dwelling  with 
his  wife,  for  I  know  he  will  never  see  thee 
want." 

Susannah  rose  up.  In  the  dusk  of  the  low, 
small  room  her  figure,  the  child  still  in  her 
arms,  seemed  to  tower  like  a  misty  goddess 
or  Madonna,  such  as  praying  men  have  often 
seen  appearing  for  their  succour;  her  voice 
came  clear  and  strong  from  a  heaving  breast. 

"  Angel,  I  will  never  leave  you,  never," 
and  then  she  added  in  a  voice  that  faltered, 
"  Send  the  child  if  you  will." 


CHAPTER   X. 

THEY  did  not  send  the  child  to  Far  West, 
or  even  insist  on  Elvira  seeking  safety  there, 
because  that  town  also  became  swiftly  in 
volved  in  the  flames  of  the  war  which  had 
flashed  into  new  life  at  the  Gallatin  fight.  The 
whole  land  was  full  of  threats  and  terrors,  and 
many  open  fights  at  the  polling-booths  were 
soon  reported.  The  Mormons  and  anti- 
Mormons  in  various  localities  entered  into 
mutual  bonds  to  keep  the  peace,  but  in  many 
cases  these  bonds  were  soon  broken. 

To  the  Mormons  everywhere  had  been  is 
sued  a  proclamation,  signed  by  Smith  and  the 
elders,  commanding  that  no  official  tyranny, 
however  unjust,  was  to  be  resisted.  "Let 
every  soul  be  subject  unto  the  higher  pow 
ers."  "  Submit  yourselves  to  every  ordinance 
of  man  for  the  Lord's  sake."  But  when  pri 
vate  violence  was  offered  the  order  was  that 
the  men  should  fight  in  defence  of  their 
families. 

It  seems  to  have  been  this  order  to  fight, 
and  the  fact  that  the  Mormons  proved  them 
selves  sturdy  fighters,  which  alone  caused  any 
of  the  Gentiles  to  enter  into  a  compact  of 
peace.  So  mad  was  their  anger  against  a 

233 


234  THE   MORMON   PROPHET. 

sect  claiming  the  land  as  an  inheritance  from 
God  and  voting  to  a  man  in  obedience  to  its 
leader,  that  the  Missouri  journals  of  the  day 
openly  taught  that  to  kill  a  Mormon  was  no 
worse  than  to  kill  an  Indian,  and  to  kill  an 
Indian  was  tacitly  considered  as  meritorious 
as  killing  a  wild  beast. 

"  I  am  just  about  as  safe  jogging  along  in 
one  of  your  waggons  as  anywhere  in  this  part 
of  the  country,"  observed  Elvira;  "and  if  it 
was  a  craving  for  peace  and  safety  we  had, 
why  did  we  come  to  Missouri  at  all?  I  feel 
exactly  like  a  rabbit  when  the  men  are  out 
trying  to  thin  them;  I  notice  they  get  very 
frisky." 

There  was  psychological  truth  underlying 
this  statement.  Stimulated  by  the  excite 
ments  of  sudden  alarms,  Susannah  also  found 
herself  enjoying  intervals  of  temporary  secu 
rity  with  peculiar  zest. 

They  set  forth  again  upon  the  country 
roads.  Halsey  had  the  burden  of  his  message 
upon  his  spirit;  wherever  they  found  a  few 
Mormon  households  gathered  together,  he 
preached  to  them  the  high  ideals  of  Christian 
living  and  the  need  of  humility  and  constant 
prayer.  Another  theme  he  had  which  he  con 
sidered  of  equal  importance;  this  was  the  in 
terpretation  of  prophecy.  He  gave  long  rapt 
discourses  upon  the  most  obscure  passages  in 
the  books  of  the  prophets,  the  Revelation  of 
St.  John,  and  the  Book  of  Mormon.  These 
passages  were  found  chiefly  to  refer  to  the 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  235 

rise  of  the  Mormon  Church,  the  iniquity  of 
her  enemies,  and  her  glorious  future.  Susan 
nah,  who  saw  the  value  of  his  practical  teach 
ings,  bitterly  regretted  this  use  of  half  his  op 
portunities. 

Only  once  or  twice  in  many  weeks  did 
they  come  upon  a  Mormon  household  whose 
management  was  not  such  as  the  moralist 
would  approve,  and  in  those  cases'before  Hal- 
sey's  passionate  denunciation  sins  were  con 
fessed  and  repentance  promised. 

So  they  journeyed  slowly  out  of  the  Sep 
tember  heats  and  oppressive  shades  into  the 
cooler  and  more  open  glories  of  autumn.  In 
that  part  of  the  country  wild  flowers  run  riot 
at  the  approach  of  winter,  painting  the  land 
in  broad  leagues  of  colour,  white  and  gold  and 
blue,  and  the  trees  of  the  forest  hang  in  red 
curtains  overhead.  The  air  was  so  light  and 
invigorating  that  they  all  felt  its  tonic  prop 
erties.  Halsey  seemed  eased  of  his  burden; 
the  child  began  to  talk,  babbling  wise  and 
wonderful  speeches.  Elvira  was  even  more 
frivolous  than  was  her  wont,  and  Susannah 
almost  forgot  Halsey's  dismal  prophecy  of 
martyrdom. 

About  the  middle  of  October  they  reached 
the  place  called  Haun's  Mill,  where  a  small 
Mormon  community  was  settled.  Here  they 
thought  well  to  pause,  shocked  by  renewed 
rumours  of  warfare.  A  truce  for  the  whole 
region,  which  had  been  signed  by  Smith  and 
some  of  his  elders  on  the  one  side,  and  by 


236  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

a  magistrate,  by  name  Adam  Black,  for  the 
Gentiles,  had  been  broken  by  Gentile  mobs  in 
several  of  the  counties  near  Far  West.  A 
number  of  the  saints  had  been  brutally  killed, 
their  wives  and  children  driven  from  their 
homes  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  This  re 
newed  outrage  roused  at  last  the  fires  of  re 
venge,  long  smouldering  in  the  breasts  of  the 
refugees  from  the  desolate  city  of  Zion,  who 
had  themselves  known  the  bitterness  of  such 
unmerited  wrong.  These  fires  fused  religious 
principle  and  natural  wrath  together,  till  a 
chain  was  forged  which  bound  many  strong 
men  in  a  secret  society,  whose  members  swore 
to  fight,  not  only  in  defence,  but  especially 
in  vengeance. 

It  was  at  Haun's  Mill  that  Halsey  first 
heard  of  this  society,  and  he  was  deeply  con 
cerned.  A  young  Mormon  who  had  lately 
come  to  the  place  belonged  to  it,  and  after 
one  of  Halsey's  sermons,  in  which  the  posts 
of  the  Gate  of  Life  were  represented  as  meek 
ness  arid  forgiveness,  this  young  man  came 
to  the  preacher  by  night  to  confess,  but  also 
to  vindicate  his  position. 

The  missionary's  little  party,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  Elvira,  who  had  accepted  hospi 
tality  at  a  neighbouring  farm,  were  camping 
in  a  meadow  not  far  from  a  stream  called 
Shoal  Creek,  which  drove  the  mill.  The  logs 
of  their  evening  fire  were  still  alight.  Susan 
nah  sat  just  within  the  dark  opening  of  a  low 
canvas-covered  waggon;  the  unsteady  flame 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  237 

light  fell  upon  her,  and  sometimes  showed  a 
farther  interior  where  the  child  lay  sleeping. 
Halsey  was  sitting  at  the  roots  of  a  tree,  the 
utensils  of  a  simple  supper  at  his  side.  The 
gentle  horses  tethered  near  were  to  be  heard 
softly  cropping  the  grass,  and  the  sound  of 
the  creek  came  from  a  farther  distance. 
Above,  the  poplar  boughs,  whose  yellow 
foliage  had  been  thinned  by  the  advancing 
season,  let  through  the  rays  of  the  brilliant 
stars.  These  were  the  sights  and  sounds 
which  met  the  young  man's  senses  as  he  came 
brushing  the  fallen  leaves  with  his  feet. 

He  leaned  against  the  pole  of  the  farther 
waggon  and  looked  across  the  low-glowing 
fire  at  the  preacher  and  his  wife. 

"Look  here!  I'm  a  Danite.  Do  you  mean 
to  say  that  the  Lord's  not  going  to  accept 
of  me  because  I  can't  stand  by  and  see  weak 
men  and  women  and  children  killed,  or  worse 
than  killed,  without  punishing  the  murderers? 
Supposing  that  a  hundred  of  Boggs'  men  were 
to  come  down  now  and  put  an  end  to  you, 
your  wife,  and  your  child,  would  you  have 
me  go  along  with  them  peaceably  afterwards 
and  pray  they  might  be  forgiven?  " 

"  What  is  a  Danite?  "  asked  Susannah. 

The  stranger  took  off  his  hat  and  an 
swered  her  very  respectfully.  "  We  are  under 
an  oath,  ma'am,  not  to  tell  who  belong  to  us, 
but  we've  bound  ourselves  to  punish  them  as 
take  the  blood  of  the  helpless  and  innocent." 

He  seemed,  as  far  as  the  light  would  show, 


238  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

a  well-made  youth,  and  his  voice  was  clear 
and  honest. 

Halsey  had  not  spoken,  and  Susannah 
asked  again,  this  time  of  her  husband,  "  Can 
it  be  wrong  to  do  as  this  gentleman  says?  " 

The  preacher  spoke  slowly.  "  Vengeance 
is  mine;  I  will  repay,  saith  the  Lord." 

"  But,"  said  the  young  man  eagerly,  "  the 
Scripture  also  says  '  There's  a  time  for  wrath/ 
and  '  he  that  sheddeth  man's  blood,  by  man 
shall  his  blood  be  shed.' ' 

Halsey  rose  up.  It  was  a  strong  moment 
for  him,  for  he  had  long  seen  that  the  spirit 
of  retaliation,  following  hard  on  the  spirit  of 
defence,  was  the  coming  curse  of  his  beloved 
church,  and  had  prayed  that  he  might  be  the 
means  of  helping  to  ward  it  off.  Here  was 
one  asking  counsel  who  from  the  strength 
of  his  person  and  character  might  have  influ 
ence  among  the  avengers  of  blood,  yet  with 
his  helpless  wife  and  child  beside  him  none 
felt  more  keenly  than  Halsey  the  force  of  the 
Danite's  arguments,  and  none  knew  better 
the  multitude  of  Scripture  prophecies  that 
could  be  brought  up  in  support  of  them.  In 
the  strength  of  his  need  this  man,  who  had 
been  spending  the  precious  time  of  many  a 
hardly-won  audience  in  dwelling  on  obscure 
poesies  in  books  held  sacred,  now  seemed  to 
step  forth  into  a  sudden  illumination  of  truth 
just  as  he  stepped  from  the  shadow  of  the 
poplar  bole  into  the  light  of  the  fire. 

"  Friend,  I  did  wrong  to  answer  you  in 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  239 

this  matter  from  any  part  of  Scripture  save 
from  the  mouth  of  our  most  blessed  Lord 
himself,  for  he  alone  is  the  gate  by  which  we 
must  enter  into  life,  and  I  would  have  you 
to  consider  most  carefully  *his  life  and  words, 
and  find  out  if  there  be  any  promise  of  bless 
edness  to  those  who  strike  back  when  they 
are  struck,  or  any  command  to  punish  the 
evil-doer,  or  any  example  for  such  punish 
ment.  But  if  you  would  be  more  manly  and 
more  gallant  than  the  Saviour  of  the  world, 
I  tell  you  it  must  be  at  your  own  peril,  for 
he  alone  is  the  gate  of  that  road  which  leads 
to  everlasting  life." 

There  was  a  silence  for  some  long  mo 
ments.  Embers  in  the  fire  broke  and  fell;  the 
horses  cropped  the  grass;  a  nut  or  twig 
dropped  somewhere  among  the  adjacent  trees. 

"  Well,"  said  the  young  Danite  reflective 
ly,  "  if  that's  it,  I  guess  I'll  have  to  take  my 
fling  first  and  seek  salvation  after;  but  Smith 
and  Rigdon  don't  only  preach  that  sort  of 
Gospel  now;  they  are  all  for  the  Old  Testa 
ment  kind  of  thing,  and  the  destroying  an 
gels  in  the  Revelations." 


CHAPTER  XL 

So  near  came  the  rumours  of  war  that 
the  Mormons  of  Haun's  Mill  entered  into  a 
renewed  compact  of  mutual  peace  with  the 
Gentiles  around  them.  The  place  was  about 
twenty  miles  below  the  town  of  Far  West, 
on  the  same  stream  of  Shoal  Creek.  Around 
Far  West  the  roads  presently  became  very 
dangerous,  haunted,  it  was  said,  by  armed 
parties  of  bloodthirsty  Gentiles  who  lay  in 
wait  for  trains  of  Mormon  emigrants  coming 
from  the  east  to  the  prophet's  city.  All  trav 
ellers  became  alarmed;  Halsey  remained 
where  he  was;  the  people  of  the  place  accepted 
his  pastoral  services  gladly.  A  train  of  Gen 
tile  emigrants  also  waited  at  Haun's  Mill  for 
the  cessation  of  hostilities. 

These  emigrants  were  quiet  folk  and  had 
children  with  them.  Susannah  used  to  go 
out  upon  sunny  days  with  her  sturdy  yearling, 
talking  to  all  mothers,  Gentile  or  Mormon, 
who  carried  little  children.  The  beauty  of 
the  season,  the  cloudless  sun,  gilded  these 
few  peaceful  days.  Susannah  compared  her 
child  with  other  children,  marvelled  at  the 
baby  intercourse  he  held  with  them,  at  the 
likes  and  dislikes  displayed  among  these  pig- 
240 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  241 

my  associates;  and  the  other  mothers  had  like 
sources  of  interest  in  these  interviews. 

One  among  the  emigrants,  a  dark-eyed 
woman  of  about  forty  years  of  age,  was  of 
better  position  and  education  than  the  others. 
One  morning  she  noticed  Susannah's  child 
very  kindly,  speaking  of  things  that  did  not 
lie  on  the  surface  of  life. 

"  There  is  a  seeking  look  in  his  eyes,"  the 
lady  said;  "he  smiles,  he  plays  with  us  all, 
but  he  looks  beyond  for  something.  I  have 
seen  that  look  in  the  eyes  of  children  who 
were  in  pain,  but  yours  is  at  ease." 

"  He  has  his  father's  eyes,"  Susannah 
sighed.  "  My  husband  is  always  looking  for 
a  virtue  that  seems  to  me  impossible." 

Both  women  turned  toward  an  open 
grassy  space  in  the  midst  of  the  clustered 
houses  where  Halsey  was  now  standing,  Bible 
in  hand,  teaching  a  little  group  of  children  to 
repeat  the  beatitudes.  Only  four  children, 
one  sickly  boy  and  three  girls,  were  willing  to 
stand  and  repeat  the  lesson;  others  had  strag 
gled  away  and  were  shouting  at  their  play. 

Not  far  from  where  Halsey  stood  some 
fifteen  of  the  neighbours  had  gathered  to 
gether  to  put  up  a  new  wooden  house;  piles 
of  sweet-smelling  deal  lay  about  them  as  they 
worked. 

Just  then  on  the  road  from  Far  West  a 
horse  bearing  an  old  man  was  seen  straining 
itself  to  the  swiftest  gallop.  The  old  man 
began  to  shout  as  he  came  within  hearing. 


242  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

No  one  could  understand  what  he  said.  He 
shouted  more  loudly,  and  many  women  ran 
out  of  their  doors  to  see  his  arrival.  Before 
his  words  were  articulate  a  cloud  of  dust  was 
seen  rising  round  a  turning  of  the  same  road, 
and  a  large  company  of  horsemen  came  swift 
ly  into  view. 

The  old  man's  voice  was  raised  in  a  cry, 
but  only  the  accent  of  terror  was  intelligible. 
He  threw  himself  off  his  horse,  brandishing 
his  arms.  Afterwards  it  was  known  that  he 
wanted  the  villagers  to  take  refuge  in  their 
houses,  but  now  they  only  stared  the  more  at 
him  and  at  the  small  army  that  was  approach 
ing. 

Susannah  heard  a  shot;  then  she  was  deaf 
ened  by  the  sound  of  a  volley  of  muskets. 
Paralysed,  she  stood  staring  down  the  road, 
unable  to  believe  that  the  two  or  three  hun 
dred  mounted  men  had  deliberately  levelled 
their  muskets  and  fired.  Then  all  around  her 
she  became  aware  of  shrieks  and  sobs  and 
prayers  that  went  up  to  God.  The  brown- 
eyed  Gentile  lady  who  stood  beside  her  had 
fallen  in  a  curious  attitude  at  her  feet. 

Susannah  darted  into  the  emigrants'  tent 
and,  putting  down  the  child,  dragged  the  lady 
within.  She  perceived  to  her  horror  that  the 
lady  was  shot;  the  bullet  had  passed  through 
her  neck.  Not  knowing  whether  she  was 
dead  or  dying,  Susannah  stretched  her  on  the 
floor.  Then  she  lifted  her  hands  above  her 
head,  wrung  them  together  in  agony  of  nerve 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  243 

and  thought.  She  remembered  afterwards 
looking  upward  in  the  cave  of  the  warm  tent 
and  saying  aloud  "  O  God!  O  God!  "  many 
times. 

The  first  thing  she  saw  was  her  child 
standing  watching  her;  both  his  little  brown 
fists  were  full  of  flowTers.  Hearing  the  sound 
of  horses  trampling  near,  loud  voices,  and 
occasional  shots,  she  bethought  her  that  the 
canvas  of  the  tent  was  no  protection  for  the 
child,  and,  snatching  him  in  her  arms,  she  ran 
madly  out  into  the  sunshine  and  into  the  open 
war. 

A  large  number  of  the  horsemen  had  al 
ready  passed  on  down  the  road;  the  sounds 
that  came  from  them  seemed  to  be  of  oaths 
and  laughter.  A  number  were  still  gallop 
ing  in  and  out  among  the  houses;  the  ground 
was  strewed  with  bodies  of  the  dead  and 
wounded;  the  able-bodied,  it  seemed,  must 
have  suddenly  huddled  within  their  doors. 

Susannah  remembered  her  husband  now, 
remembered  where  he  had  been  standing. 
She  forgot  all  else;  she  rushed  toward  the 
middle  of  the  green,  drawing  back  only  when 
some  of  the  horsemen  dashed  across  her  path 
to  follow  their  fellows.  They  stared  at  her 
and,  as  they  went,  called  to  some  who  were 
still  behind  them. 

One  of  these  came  on,  checked  his  horse, 
and  looked  in  Susannah's  face  insultingly. 
No  doubt  her  eyes  were  dazed,  and  she  looked 
to  him  like  a  mad  woman,  but  she  remem- 


244  THE   MORMON   PROPHET. 

bered  afterwards  that  the  child  showed  anger 
and  babbled  that  the  horseman  was  a  bad 
man.  At  this  the  rider  took  out  his  pistol 
and  pointed  it  at  the  child  and  fired  and  rode 
off  laughing. 

Susannah  saw  the  young  Danite  bending 
over  her.  His  words  were  hoarse  and  so  sor 
rowful  that  she  gathered  from  their  tone  that 
she  was  in  great  distress  before  she  under 
stood  their  purport  or  memory  awoke. 
"  Ma'am,"  he  said,  "  I'll  take  you  down  to 
your  own  waggon  by  the  creek." 

She  found  herself  sitting  on  the  ground, 
her  child  in  her  arms.  The  child  was  dead; 
she  knew  that  as  soon  as  she  looked  at  him. 
There  was  a  little  trickle  of  blood  upon  the 
light  frock  over  his  heart,  but  not  much. 

As  yet  no  women,  only  a  few  men,  had 
ventured  forth,  and  the  sound  of  the  enemy's 
horses  and  shouting  were  still  in  the  air.  Su 
sannah  rose  up,  folding  in  her  arms  the  body 
of  the  child;  the  momentum  of  her  first  inten 
tion  was  upon  her  will  and  muscles;  she  moved 
straight  on  toward  the  place  where  she  had 
last  seen  Halsey. 

The  young  Danite  took  hold  of  her  sleeve 
when  he  perceived  whither  she  went. 

"  'Tisn't  no  use,  ma'am.  Some  of  the 
brothers  have  attended  to  him." 

Susannah  looked  straight  in  the  young 
man's  face  with  perfect  courage.  "  Is  he 
dead?  " 

But  the  Danite  had  not  courage  for  this; 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  245 

he  turned  away  and  put  his  arm  over  his  eyes; 
she  heard  him  grind  his  teeth  in  dumb  pas 
sion. 

Some  of  the  men  and  women  lying  on  the 
grass  were  moaning  or  screaming  with  the 
pain  of  their  injuries.  The  thought  that  Hal- 
sey  might  be  in  like  pain  made  Susannah  im 
perative.  "  Is  he  dead?  "  she  asked  again  in 
precise  repetition  of  tone  and  accent.  "  Is  he 
dead?" 

The  Danite  lifted  his  head.  "  He  is  quite 
dead,  and  I  marked  the  man  that  did  it,  and 
I  marked  the  man  that  did  this  too."  He 
touched  reverently,  not  the  child,  but  the 
wilting  asters  that  were  still  grasped  in  the 
baby  hand.  "  If  I'd  only  had  a  gun — 
but  " — he  ground  his  teeth  again  and  mut 
tered,  "  God  helping  me,  they  shall  both 
die." 

Susannah  understood  nothing  then  but 
the  first  part  of  this  speech. 

By  this  time  many  of  the  women  and  chil 
dren  had  again  flocked  out  of  the  houses.  It 
was  reported  that  the  horsemen  had  been  a 
detachment  of  State  militia,  that  one  of  them 
had  taken  the  trouble  to  explain  to  a  wounded 
man  that  they  had  received  orders  from  Gov 
ernor  Boggs  to  exterminate  the  Mormons. 
Immediately  by  other  frightened  tongues  it 
was  stated  that  the  armed  company  were  halt 
ing  round  the  turn  of  the  road,  intending  to 
return  and  shoot  again  when  the  people  had 
come  out  from  shelter.  At  this  the  greater 


246  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

number  made  a  stampede  for  a  thicket  of  pop 
lar  and  willow  saplings  that  was  near  the 
creek.  The  Danite  still  held  by  Susannah's 
sleeve. 

"  Where  is  my  husband  ? "  she  again 
asked.  She  had  not  moved  since  he  last 
spoke  to  her. 

Some  men  were  busy  laying  the  dead,  of 
whom  there  were  eighteen,  on  the  floor  of 
a  shed  which  was  not  far  off.  Susannah  and 
the  Danite  moved  about  together  and  found 
Halsey  lying  still  on  the  green,  his  limbs  de 
cently  composed,  his  eyes  for  ever  shut.  The 
bearers  were  about  to  lift  him,  but  the  Dan 
ite  interposed.  He  had  an  excited  fancy  con 
cerning  Susannah's  dead  and  what  must  be 
done  for  them.  He  lifted  Halsey  easily  in 
both  his  arms  and  walked  away,  Susannah  fol 
lowing  with  the  dead  child. 

Without  a  word  they  went  till  they  came 
to  Halsey's  camp.  Nothing  had  been  touched 
since  Susannah  left  in  the  morning.  The  Dan 
ite,  remembering  the  camp  as  he  had  seen  it 
a  few  evenings  before,  looked  about  him  now 
curiously,  and  laid  Halsey  down  on  the  very 
spot  where  he  had  stood  to  plead  for  a  divine 
righteousness. 

It  was  not  a  time  for  words.  Having  de 
posited  his  burden,  he  looked  to  Susannah, 
but  she  had  no  directions  to  give.  She  sat 
down  beside  her  husband,  as  though  prepar 
ing  to  remain. 

"  I  thought  you'd  like  to  lay  them  both 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  247 

out  here,  but  I  guess  I  ought  to  get  you  into 
the  bush,  ma'am." 

"I  will  stay  here,"  she  said;  "you  had 
better  go  to  help  some  one  else." 

The  cries  of  the  wounded  were  still  heard 
from  the  vicinity  of  the  houses.  A  crowd  of 
the  uninjured  people  were  to  be  seen  making 
their  way  through  the  first  bushes  of  the 
thicket.  They  seemed  to  be  carrying  the 
wounded  thither,  for  men  bearing  shutters 
and  doors  upon  which  the  sick  were  stretched 
now  started  in  the  direction  of  the  bush. 
There  was  need  for  help,  as  the  Danite  well 
saw;  then,  too,  inactivity  was  torture.  He 
left  Susannah  and  ran  back  to  bear  his  part 
in  the  common  task. 

When  almost  every  other  living  soul  was 
lost  in  the  close  thicket  he  came  again,  ap 
proaching  the  camp  with  soft  footsteps,  peer 
ing  anxiously.  Susannah  had  laid  the  child 
in  his  father's  arms.  Their  enemies  seemed  to 
have  taken  aim  for  the  heart,  for  Halsey's 
wound  was  also  there.  She  had  so  laid  the 
child  within  his  arms,  heart  to  heart,  that  no 
sign  of  injury  appeared.  She  sat  by  them 
now,  sobbing  her  tearless  sobs,  stroking  gen 
tly,  sometimes  the  hair  of  the  child,  more  often 
the  thick  locks  of  light  hair  that  lay  above 
her  husband's  brow.  She  was  talking  to  them 
between  her  sobs  in  rapid  phrases  exactly  as 
if  they  were  not  dead.  The  young  Danite 
was  sure  that  she  had  lost  her  wits;  he  leant 
against  a  tree  confounded. 
17 


248  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

Susannah  was  saying,  "  I  wanted  to  keep 
baby,  Angel,  I  wanted  so  much  to  keep  him, 
but  I  could  not  have  taught  him  your  way; 
there  was  no  use  telling  you  that  before,  for 
you  could  not  understand.  When  you  told 
me  that  you  would  go  you  did  not  tell  me 
you  meant  to  take  baby.  You  have  the  best 
right  to  him,  dear,  he  is  all  yours,  but  oh! 
remember — remember  that  I  will  be  very 
lonely — very  lonely — O  Angel."  There  were 
a  few  moments  of  wordless  moans  and  sobs, 
but  she  went  on  clearly  enough,  "  I  want  you 
to  know,  Angel,  that  I  never  was  disappoint 
ed  in  you — never  disappointed  in  you,  dear; 
and  about  my  lack  of  faith — it  would  have 
been  no  use  to  tell  you  before,  would  it?  " 

She  took  her  hand  from  Halsey's  hair  and 
played  a  moment  with  the  rings  of  gold  on 
the  baby's  head  lying  on  his  breast.  She  laid 
her  hand  upon  Halsey's  hands  that  she  had 
clasped  together  above  the  child.  "  It  is  bet 
ter  for  you  to  have  baby  with  you.  I  could 
not  have  taught  him  your  thoughts.  It  is 
better,  dear,  isn't  it?  " 

The  earnest  inflection  of  her  voice  in  these 
interrogations  brought  so  wild  a  sense  of 
pathos  to  the  Danite's  heart  that  his  eyes 
filled  with  tears  and  brimmed  over,  but  Susan 
nah's  sobs  were  like  a  nervous  gasping  of 
which  she  was  scarcely  conscious,  and  no  hint 
of  tears. 

She  lightly  touched  the  baby  hand  that 
was  lying^  on  its  father's  shoulder,  still  grasp- 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  249 

ing  the  blue  blossoms.  "  See,"  she  sobbed, 
"  he  has  brought  his  flowers  to  you;  he  always 
loved  you  best." 

There  had  been  a  great  silence  in  the  air 
about  them,  but  now  there  was  again  the 
sound  of  firing  at  the  distance  of  about  a  mile. 
The  Danite's  pulses  leaped,  but  he  did  not, 
because  of  that,  allow  himself  to  speak  or 
move. 

Susannah  spoke  again,  resting  her  hand 
on  Halsey's  brow,  "  You  know,  dear,  I  don't 
know  whether  you  and  baby  are  anywhere — 
anywhere";  wildly,  as  if  the  appalling  loneli 
ness  of  its  meaning  had  flashed  upon  her 
dulled  brain,  she  repeated  the  word. 

The  Danite's  sympathy  rose  within  him; 
he  staggered  forward  and  bent  over  her. 
"  Don't,  ma'am,"  he  said,  "  don't  go  on  talk 
ing  like  that.  I  was  with  my  own  mother 
when  she  died,  when  I  was  a  little  chap, 
and  I  know  how  it  is,  and  you'd  much  bet 
ter  try  to  shed  tears,  ma'am,  indeed  you 
had." 

Susannah  lifted  to  him  a  blank  face,  dis 
turbed  but  uncomprehending. 

He  decided  what  to  do;  the  thought  of 
action  restored  him.  He  ran  with  all  his 
might  back  to  the  houses,  and,  finding  a  pick 
and  spade,  came  again.  This  time,  more  con 
fident  of  himself,  he  had  more  control  over 
Susannah. 

"  We  must  make  the  grave  right  here, 
ma'am,  and  do  you  go  and  gather  some  flow- 


250  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

ers  to  put  on  it,  for  we  must  just  put  them  two 
away  out  of  sight  before  the  devils  come  back. 
It's  what  he  would  want,  you  know."  He 
pointed  to  Halsey  and  repeated  the  words 
until  she  understood. 

It  even  seemed  a  relief  to  her  then  to  move 
about  too,  and  find  that  there  was  something 
she  could  do,  but  she  did  not  obey  him  blind 
ly.  While  in  a  soft  place  close  by  he  delved 
with  might  and  main,  displacing  the  earth 
with  incredible  speed,  Susannah,  sobbing  all 
the  time,  but  tearless,  went  into  the  waggon 
and  brought  out  certain  things  which  she 
chose  with  care — a  locked  box,  the  best  gar 
ments  belonging  to  herself,  her  husband,  and 
child,  and  the  baby's  toys. 

It  was  no  neat  gravedigger's  work  that  the 
Danite  accomplished;  he  had  made  a  deep, 
large  hole,  but  the  cavity  sloped  at  the  sides 
so  that  they  could  step  in  and  out.  Susannah 
brought  her  little  store  and  lined  the  earth 
first  with  the  garments. 

"  You  may  want  some  of  those  things  of 
your  own,  ma'am,"  said  the  Danite. 

She  paid  no  heed;  when  she  had  made  the 
couch  to  her  mind  she  signed  to  him  to  lay 
Halsey  and  the  child  in  it,  which  he  did.  She 
herself  stooped  in  the  grave  to  clasp  the  dead 
man's  hands  more  tightly  over  the  little  one's 
form,  and  her  last  touch  was  to  stroke  Hal- 
sey's  hair  from  off  the  brow.  She  laid  the 
baby  playthings  at  Halsey's  feet;  she  unlocked 
the  box  and  took  from  it  all  the  household 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  251 

treasures  that  so  far  she  had  sought  to  keep 
— some  silver,  a  few  small  ornaments,  a  few 
books,  and  Halsey's  Book  of  Mormon,  in 
which  was  written  their  marriage  and  the 
baby's  birth.  She  brought  a  silken  shawl,  the 
one  bit  of  finery  that  remained  from  her  girl 
ish  days.  She  covered  her  dead  with  it  very 
carefully,  tucking  it  in  as  though  they  slept; 
then  she  moved  away,  wringing  her  hands 
and  heaving  convulsive  sighs.  The  Danite 
put  back  the  earth. 

All  the  grass  was  strewn  pretty  thickly 
with  poplar  leaves,  gold,  lined  with  white,  and 
after  leaning  against  a  tree  some  minutes 
looking  away  from  the  grave,  Susannah  began 
gathering  up  these  leaves  hastily,  so  that  when 
he  levelled  the  earth  she  could  strew  the  top, 
hiding  the  place  from  the  curious  eyes  of 
strangers. 

"  I  guess,  ma'am,  if  there's  anything  you 
would  like  to  take  with  you  now,  we'd  better 
go  into  the  bush." 

"  No,  there  is  nothing,  but,"  she  cried,  "  I 
thank  you  very  much,  and  if  there  is  anything 
that  would  be  of  use  to  you " 

When  the  Danite  had  first  laid  Halsey 
under  the  tree  he  had  taken  a  white  cloth 
from  the  tent  and  wiped  the  blood  from  the 
coat,  that  Susannah  might  not  be  too  much 
shocked  at  the  sight.  He  took  this  cloth 
now  and  tore  it  till  the  stained  fragment  alone 
remained  in  his  hand.  He  thrust  it  in  his 
breast. 


252  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

"  This  will  stand  for  the  blood  of  them 
both/'  he  said.  "  I  guess  that's  all  I  want." 
But  when  he  had  started  towards  the  thicket 
he  remembered  Susannah's  needs,  and  went 
back  for  a  blanket. 

The  poplar  saplings  that  bordered  the 
creek  were  still  holding  a  thin  gold  canopy 
overhead,  and  the  dogwood  was  glinting  with 
scarlet.  The  other  members  of  the  commu 
nity  had  gone  so  far  ahead  that  it  was  a 
long  time  before,  making  their  toilsome 
way,  they  came  upon  their  former  neigh 
bours. 

The  fugitives  had  called  a  halt  where  a 
brook  which  passed  through  the  bush  offered 
some  relief  to  the  pain  and  fever  of  those  who 
were  wounded.  One  of  these,  a  little  girl,  had 
already  died  by  the  way,  and  her  frantic  moth 
er  began  to  reproach  Susannah,  wailing  that 
if  the  child  had  not  been  saying  her  texts  to 
the  elder  she  would  not  have  been  a  mark  for 
the  enemy. 

The  men  were  cutting  down  saplings  to 
make  place  for  a  camp.  It  was  their  intention 
to  remain,  going  back  under  the  cover  of 
night  to  get  food  and  blankets  from  the 
houses,  if  they  were  not  pillaged  and  burned, 
going  back  in  any  case  to  bury  their  dead  at 
the  first  streak  of  dawn. 

The  Danite  turned  to  Susannah.  "  I 
guess,  ma'am,  neither  you  nor  I  have  got  any 
business  to  take  us  back,  and  there's  enough 
of  the  brothers  here  to  do  the  work." 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  253 

Susannah  went  on  with  the  young  man 
through  hour  after  hour  of  the  afternoon  far 
ther  and  farther  into  the  unknown  fastnesses 
of  the  wood.  They  left  behind  them  the  low 
thicket  of  second  growth,  and  penetrated  into 
an  uncleared  Missouri  forest. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

ALL  the  powers  of  the  young  Danite  were 
strung  by  excitement  into  the  fiercest  vitality, 
and  he  thought  that  physical  fatigue  was  the 
best  medicine  for  Susannah's  mind.  Why  he 
had  accepted  the  work  of  saving  her  as  part 
of  his  mission  of  Mormon  defence  he  did  not 
ask  himself.  In  him,  as  in  many  athletes, 
thought  and  action  seemed  one.  He  acted 
because  he  acted;  he  knew  no  other  reason. 

In  the  middle  of  the  night  Susannah  woke 
up.  The  stars  glimmered  above  the  trees; 
she  was  lying  on  a  heap  of  autumn  leaves 
wrapped  in  the  blanket.  Sitting  up,  she  re 
membered  slowly  the  events  of  the  preceding 
day. 

Her  movement  had  caused  another  move 
ment  at  some  distance.  The  Danite,  sleeping 
on  the  alert  like  soldier  or  huntsman,  was 
roused  by  the  first  sound  she  made,  and  when 
she  continued  to  sit  up  he  came  near  in  the 
glimmering  light.  She  saw  his  dark  form 
where  he  tarried  a  few  paces  away. 

"  You're  all  safe,  ma'am.  Can't  you  go  on 
sleeping?  " 

A  watch  of  the  night  often  brings  to  recol- 
254 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  255 

lection  some  duty  forgotten  during  the  day. 
"  Do  you  know  where  Elvira  Halsey  is?  " 

"  The  young  lady  with  the  brown  eyes  that 
I  have  sometimes  seen  you  with,  ma'am?  " 

"  Yes."  Then  Susannah  added  with  the 
\veak  detail  of  a  wretched  mind,  "  She  isn't 
very  young." 

"  Was  she  any  relation  to  you,  ma'am? 
Were  you  very  affectionate  with  her?  " 

Susannah  explained  the  relationship. 

The  Danite  thought,  "  If  I  tell  her  she's 
there  she'll  think  it  her  duty  to  trapse  back 
all  the  way  to  find  her;  she's  that  sort." 
Therefore,  judging  that  a  minor  grief  could 
not  make  much  difference,  he  gave  it  as  his 
opinion  that  Elvira  was  dead.  At  this  Susan 
nah  shed  tears  for  the  first  time,  which  eased 
his  anxiety  not  a  little. 

Susannah  did  not  know  the  Danite's  name; 
it  never  occurred  to  her  to  ask  him  any  ques 
tion  about  himself. 

At  dawn  they  started  again  upon  their 
tramp.  The  man  knew  the  country,  and  when 
the  sun  was  up  he  brought  Susannah  out  of 
the  forest  to  a  settler's  farm.  She  was  faint 
now  for  want  of  food,  walking  again,  as  she 
had  walked  last  night,  with  vacant  eyes  and 
dull  mechanical  tread. 

The  Danite  made  her  sit  down  upon  a 
stone  near  the  house,  and  brought  a  woman 
to  her  who  carried  bread  and  milk.  Susannah 
ate  and  drank  without  speaking. 

"My!  but  she's  tired,"  said  the  farmer's 


256  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

wife.  "  It's  a  cruel  shame  to  make  her  walk 
so  far;  you're  not  a  good  husband  to  her,  I'm 
thinking." 

Having  satisfied  her  need,  Susannah 
turned  away  dully  without  a  word.  The  set 
tler's  wife  offered  the  remainder  of  the  bread 
and  milk  to  the  Danite,  who  regarded  it  with 
famished  eyes. 

"  Where's  your  husband?  "  he  asked. 

"  We've  enough  men  about  the  place." 

"  Where  is  your  husband?  " 

"  He's  away  with  the  militia  under  Lucas." 

"  Then  I'll  not  touch  his  food,"  said  the 
Danite.  With  an  oath  he  flung  the  cup  and 
plate  upon  the  ground.  "  Do  you  see  that 
woman  there? "  He  pointed  to  Susannah. 
"  I  took  the  food  for  her,  for  she  had  died 
without  it.  Yesterday  devils  like  your  hus 
band  shot  her  child  in  her  arms  and  her  hus 
band  before  her  eyes,  and  to  Almighty  God 
I  pray  that  when  I've  got  her  to  some  safe 
place  I  may  have  strength  yet  to  shoot  your 
husband  and  your  children,  shoot  them  down 
like  dogs,  and  laugh  at  you  because  you  don't 
like  it."  The  restrained  passion  of  all  the 
long  preceding  hours  broke  out.  His  face 
was  ashen,  his  eyes  burning;  there  was  foam 
about  his  lips  as,  with  thick  utterance,  he 
hurled  the  words  at  her. 

The  woman  stepped  back  in  dismay,  but 
she,  too,  was  enraged  now,  and  courage  was 
the  habit  of  the  free  life  she  led.  "  You  are  a 
bloody  Mormon,"  she  cried,  "  and  if  I'd 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  257 

known  it  I'd  have  let  your  woman  die  before 
I'd  have  fed  her."  She  walked  backwards, 
her  voice  rising  higher  with  passion.  Unable 
to  think  connectedly,  she  shrieked  the  phrases 
she  had  in  mind.  "  Coming  here  to  spread 
idolatry  in  a  Christian  country!  Teaching 
superstition  in  a  free  Christian  land!"  She 
was  still  shrieking  some  jargon  about  the 
United  States  being  founded  on  the  Word  of 
God,  and  the  divine  right  to  exterminate  all 
Mormons,  when  he,  walking  fast,  joined  Su 
sannah. 

They  had  not  gone  much  further  before 
a  large  dog  which  the  settler's  wife  had  evi 
dently  let  loose,  came  after  them  with  fierce 
intent.  The  Danite  turned,  and  as  the  dog 
sprang,  slew  it  with  one  stab  of  his  knife,  and, 
leaving  it  bleeding  upon  the  road,  hurried  Su 
sannah  into  the  forest. 

It  was  a  tradition  upon  that  farm  for  years 
afterwards  that  these  two  Mormons,  after  re 
ceiving  charity,  had  made  an  open  display  of 
that  wanton  wickedness  which  was  habitual 
to  them. 

Susannah  and  the  Danite  travelled  on  for 
many  hours.  The  way  was  not  easy.  Some 
times  where  the  trees  were  thin  their  legs 
were  tangled  knee-deep  in  a  plant  covered 
with  minute  white  feathery  blossoms,  looking 
like  white  swan's-down  shot  through  with 
green  light,  that  carpeted  miles  of  the  ground; 
sometimes  the  trees  had  fallen  so  thickly  that 
they  had  to  clamber  from  log  to  log  rather 


258  THE   MORMON   PROPHET. 

than  walk;  sometimes  their  way  was  a  bog, 
and  they  were  in  danger  of  sinking  deeper 
than  was  safe. 

Susannah  asked  no  questions.  She  had 
heard  and  understood  all  the  words  that  had 
passed  in  the  incident  of  the  morning.  She 
felt  cowed  now,  afraid  to  think  what  might 
come  next;  it  was  enough  that  the  Danite 
had  evidently  some  point  in  view. 

About  four  in  the  afternoon  they  left  the 
forest  and  came  to  another  and  much  larger 
house.  The  Danite  advanced  here  with  more 
confidence  and  spoke  with  some  men  who 
gathered  at  their  approach.  Afterwards  three 
men,  a  father  and  sons,  came  and  one  after 
the  other  shook  hands  respectfully  with  Su 
sannah.  Within  the  house  she  found  a  moth 
erly  woman,  the  wife  of  the  elder  son.  When 
Susannah's  misfortunes  were  related  to  her  in 
undertones  she  cast  her  apron  over  her  head 
and  groaned  as  with  pain. 

Susannah  thought  that  the  concern  of  this 
household  must  arise  from  fear  on  their  own 
account.  "  Are  you  Latter-Day  Saints?  "  she 
asked  mechanically. 

The  eldest  man,  with  the  air  of  a  patri 
arch,  replied,  "  No,  madam,  we  are  not  Saints; 
the  fact  is  we  don't  hold  by  religion  of  one 
sort  or  another;  we  just  believe  in  being  kind 
to  our  neighbours  and  living  good  lives;  so 
whatsoever  your  belief  may  be  it  is  no  affair 
of  ours,  and  you  shall  rest  here  for  the  sake 
of  our  common  humanity.  We'll  look  after 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  259 

you,  madam."  He  made  a  bow  that  was  a 
queer  mixture  of  uncouthness  in  keeping  with 
his  surroundings  and  a  recollection  of  some 
more  formal  society. 

The  woman  of  the  house,  taking  her  apron 
from  her  head,  suddenly  bethought  her  of  the 
best  things  that  she  had  to  offer.  Gently  forc 
ing  Susannah  into  an  elbow  chair,  she  ran, 
and  lifting  an  infant  a  few  weeks  old  from  its 
cradle,  put  it  in  Susannah's  arms. 

The  next  night  the  young  Danite  went 
away. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

ONLY  the  outline  of  passing  events  was 
reported  to  Susannah  in  her  haven  of  peace. 
The  elder  man  took  her  into  his  courtly  care, 
and  made  a  point  of  explaining  to  her  what 
he  thought  she  needed  to  know.  The  news 
papers  were  sedulously  kept  from  her,  and  so 
reticent  were  the  other  members  of  the  house 
hold  on  the  subject  of  their  contents  that  her 
heart  constantly  sickened  at  the  thought  of 
what  she  was  not  allowed  to  hear. 

"  You  see,  madam,"  the  old  man  ex 
plained,  "  it  was  Major-General  Atchison  that 
called  out  the  militia  in  first  defence  of  your 
people  against  Gilliam's  mob.  Gilliam  had 
about  three  hundred  men,  and  they  started  in 
the  north  of  the  State.  Well,  Parks  and  Doni- 
phan,  commanding  the  militia  called  out  by 
Atchison,  seem  to  have  set  about  fighting  the 
mob  sincerely  enough."  The  old  man  pushed 
back  his  spectacles  and  rubbed  his  hair. 
"  Then  you  see,  madam,  that  didn't  please 
Governor  Boggs.  Here  was  the  militia  of  his 
State  shooting  down  his  own  good,  honest 
Christian  voters  who  keep  him  in  office,  that's 
Gilliam's  men,  and  all  the  mob;  so  Boggs  gets 

a  lot  of  his  men  in  all  parts  of  the  country  to 
260 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  261 

write  him  letters  saying  what  dreadful  crimes 
the  Mormons  are  committing.  These  letters 
will  no  doubt  pass  into  history  as  a  genuine 
account  of  your  people's  doings.  Well!  well! 
I  wouldn't  shock  your  prejudices,  but  I'd  like 
just  to  point  out  by  the  way  that  it's  all  done 
in  the  name  of  religion.  There's  Boggs  has 
got  an  old  mother  who  spends  a  lot  of  her 
time  praying  that  the  purity  of  the  American 
religion  may  not  be  corrupted  by  the  awful 
doctrines  of  Joe  Smith." 

The  old  man  shook  his  head  and  rubbed 
his  thin  gray  curly  hair  again  with  a  smile  of 
constrained  patience.  "  You  see,  although  I 
do  not  wish  to  grieve  you  by  saying  it,  if  we 
could  only  get  rid  of  religion  there  would  be 
a  lot  of  brotherly  kindness  in  the  world  that 
so  far  has  never  had  a  chance  to  say  '  peep  ' 
and  peck  its  shell.  Well,  but  here's  Boggs 
reading  his  letters,  and  he  turns  pale  with  hor 
ror  at  the  thought  of  the  corruption  that  has 
come  among  his  good  and  pious  people,  so 
he  writes  off  to  the  commanders  of  the  mili 
tia  that  they  are  to  stop  fighting  the  mob,  to 
fight  against  the  Mormons,  and  only  against 
the  Mormons.  So  then  Atchison  resigns.  He 
points  out,  fairly  enough,  that  there  hasn't 
been  a  single  conviction  in  any  lawful  court 
against  the  Mormons  for  the  crimes  they  are 
accused  of.  But  what  of  that  if  Boggs  is  Gov 
ernor?  So  they  have  taken  away  the  arms 
from  the  Mormon  company  of  militia,  and  the 
other  day  they  went  up  to  Far  West  with 


262  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

three  or  four  thousand  men,  and  they  got 
Smith  and  his  brother  Hyrum  and  three  of 
the  elders  to  come  out  to  them,  and  they 
court-martialled  them  and  ordered  them  all 
to  be  shot  the  next  day. 

"  But  it  wasn't  done,  madam,"  he  added 
hastily.  "  General  Doniphan  had  the  pluck 
to  stand  out  against  it  and  say  he  would  with 
draw  his  troops,  so  they  put  them  in  irons 
and  sent  them  to  the  gaol  in  Richmond,  and 
then  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  they  have 
forced  the  other  leaders  to  bind  themselves  to 
pay  all  the  expenses  of  the  war  and  to  get 
every  Mormon,  man,  woman,  and  child,  out 
of  the  State,  or  else  they  are  all  to  be  shot. 
That  is  how  the  matter  stands  at  present." 

"  Do  you  incur  any  risk  by  the  hospital 
ity  you  give  to  me?  "  asked  Susannah.  She 
had  not  as  yet  had  energy,  even  if  she  had  had 
inclination,  to  explain  that  the  Book  of  Mor 
mon  was  not  sacred  in  her  eyes,  nor  Smith  a 
prophet.  "  Do  you  think,"  she  asked  the  old 
man  wistfully,  "  that  the  Mormons  have  ever 
been  the  aggressors,  that  they  have  commit 
ted  any  of  the  atrocities  they  are  accused  of?  " 

"  In  some  cases  they  -have  pillaged,  and 
burned,  and  murdered  ;  they  wouldn't  be 
human  if  some  of  them  hadn't  got  fierce  under 
the  treatment  they  have  been  receiving;  but 
when  a  man  like  Atchison,  who  has  been 
scouring  the  country  and  knows  pretty  well 
what  has  happened,  prefers  to  resign  his  hon 
ourable  office  rather  than  fight  against  them, 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  263 

you  may  be  sure  they  are  not  very  far  in  the 
wrong.  Injuries,  you  know,  will  always  set  a 
few  men  mad.  There  is  your  elder,  Rigdon, 
for  instance;  when  he  got  here  and  heard  of 
some  of  the  things  your  folks  had  suffered, 
he  up  and  made  a  wild  oration  on  the  4th  of 
July,  and  said  that  if.  any  more  outrages  were 
committed  on  the  Mormons,  the  Mormons 
would  up  and  exterminate  all  the  Gentiles  in 
the  State.  But  it  has  been  well  enough  seen 
by  any  one  who  had  eyes  to  see  that  no  such 
language  was  ever  countenanced  by  the  real 
rulers  of  your  sect." 

When  Susannah  thanked  the  old  man  for 
his  candour  he  drove  his  moral  once  more. 
"  You  see,  madam,  I  can  look  at  things  as 
they  are  because  I  am  not  bound  by  any  re 
ligion  to  look  at  them  in  any  particular  way." 

Susannah  rose  up  when  the  old  man's 
story  was  ended,  and  stood  for  some  minutes 
looking  wistfully  out  through  the  window 
panes  upon  the  leafless  and  storm-swept  fields. 
They  two  were  together  in  the  long,  scantily 
furnished  living-room  at  the  end  of  the  long 
table.  Her  figure  was  stronger,  more  true 
in  its  proportions,  than  when  she  had  been  a 
girl.  Her  hair,  trained  into  smooth  obedi 
ence,  was  fastened  within  the  muslin  cap  she 
had  fashioned  for  herself,  tied  Quaker  fashion 
under  her  chin.  Her  face  was  very  white,  as 
if,  having  blanched  with  terror  in  the  tragedy 
of  Haun's  Mill,  the  life-blood  had  not  as  yet 
returned  to  it. 

18 


264  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

At  last  she  said  simply,  "  I  thank  you, 
sir." 

The  old  man  looked  most  approvingly  at 
her  form  and  at  the  subtle  witchery  which  the 
eagerness  of  imprisoned  thought  gave  to  reti 
cent  features,  at  the  depth  of  her  blue  eye. 
"  I  wish,  my  dear,  that  you  could  see  your 
way  to  give  up  your  religion  and  remain  with 
us." 

"  I  thank  you,  sir,"  she  said  again,  and 
went  back  to  the  household  tasks  she  had 
fallen  into  the  habit  of  performing. 

She  was  not  eating  the  bread  of  depend 
ence.  In  such  a  place,  where  woman's  work 
is  at  a  premium,  it  was  easy  for  her  to  do 
what  was  reckoned  of  more  value  than  what 
she  received.  The  old  man  had  two  sons. 
The  elder  and  his  wife  were  in  the  prime  of 
life,  having  a  large  family;  the  younger  son 
was  unmarried.  The  farm  was  large  and  pros 
perous.  The  one  woman,  even  had  she  been 
less  amiable,  would  have  naturally  desired  to 
keep  Susannah  as  a  helper;  being  the  kindly 
soul  she  was,  she  reserved  the  more  attractive 
tasks  for  her,  and  bade  the  children  call  her 
endearing  names.  In  her  blindness,  in  her 
slow  recovery  from  utter  exhaustion  of  mind 
and  nerve,  Susannah  never  thought  of  con 
necting  this  long-continued  kindness  with  the 
fact  that  the  old  man's  younger  son  had  as 
yet  no  wife. 

At  first  Susannah  had  fixed  her  thoughts 
upon  an  immediate  return  to  the  east,  but 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  265 

weeks  went  by  and  she  had  not  written  to 
Ephraim  Croom  for  the  money  that  she  need 
ed.  The  whole  civilised  world  contained  for 
her  but  one  friend  to  whom  she  would  write. 

The  Canadian  farm,  the  remote  country 
village  of  Manchester,  and  the  Mormon  sect 
— these  formed  her  whole  experience.  Her 
father,  who  had  scolded  and  played  with  her; 
Ephraim,  who  had  understood  her  and  had 
been  the  authority  to  her  heart  that  his  par 
ents  could  not  be;  her  husband,  who  had 
wrapped  about  her  such  close  protection  that 
she  had  tottered  when  she  thought  to  walk 
alone — these  were  her  real  world,  and  of  them 
only  Ephraim  was  left. 

It  was  not  in  her  nature  at  any  time,  above 
all  not  in  these  stricken  months,  to  desire  to 
go  out  into  the  world  alone  to  make  for  her 
self  a  sphere  of  usefulness  and  a  circle  of  com 
panions.  Hence  she  thought  only  of  return 
ing  to  Ephraim,  and  by  his  help  obtaining 
some  occupation  by  which  she  could  live  sim 
ply  and  within  his  reach.  But  when  she 
thought  more  closely  of  throwing  herself,  as 
it  were,  penniless  and  desolate  at  the  feet  of 
this  one  prized  friendship,  doubts  arose  about 
her  path. 

One  thing  which  she  had  lost  in  the 
broken  camp  by  her  husband's  grave,  one 
that  if  she  had  had  greater  power  of  recollec 
tion  she  would  not  have  left  behind  in  that 
complete  breaking  with  the  past,  was  a  packet 
of  the  few  letters  which  Ephraim  had  from 


266  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

time  to  time  written  to  her.  She  did  not  know 
whether  she  had  thrown  them  into  the  grave 
with  her  treasure,  or  whether  they  were  left 
a  prey  to  fire  and  theft,  but  in  her  heart  she 
had  carried  them  beyond  the  loss  of  their  ma 
terial  existence. 

The  first  had  answered  her  insistent  ques 
tion  concerning  the  vexed  condition  of  the 
devotees  of  prayer.  It  contained  no  word  of 
criticism  of  the  Mormon  creed,  nothing  that 
if  read  aloud  could  have  disturbed  Halsey's 
peace.  "  Perchance,"  he  had  said,  "  as  a  medi 
cal  man  applies  a  poultice  or  blister  to  a  dis 
eased  body  to  draw  out  the  evil,  so  to  those 
who  pray  and  are  too  ignorant,  i.  e.  opinion 
ated,  to  follow  perfectly  the  greatest  teacher 
of  prayer,  God  may  apply  circumstances  to 
bring  all  the  evil  of  heart  to  the  surface,  that 
in  this  life  and  the  future  it  may  the  more 
quickly  work  itself  away."  Susannah  had  so 
conned  this  passage  that  she  could  now  close 
her  eyes  and  read  it  as  written  upon  the  red 
dusk  of  their  lids. 

The  next  letter  had  been  written  a  year 
later.  He  described  a  great  change  in  his  life. 
He  had  gone  to  spend  the  winter  in  Hart 
ford,  on  the  Connecticut  River,  to  be  under 
a  new  physician,  and  had  there  met  with  a 
preacher  called  Mr.  Horace  Bushnell.  This 
acquaintance  was  evidently  much  to  Ephraim. 
Susannah  had  made  some  complaint  of  the 
harshness  of  the  divine  counsel  in  which  he 
asked  her  to  believe;  his  answer  was  to  send 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  267 

her  Bushnell's  sermons  on  the  suffering  of 
God.  Ephraim  had  added:  "  When  you  went 
from  us,  Susy,  would  you  ever  have  been  sat 
isfied  if  we  had  detained  you  by  force?  Yet 
that  is  what  you  ask  of  God.  If  you  were 
right  in  going,  let  the  circumstance  prove  it; 
if  we  were  right,  let  it  appear  by  time.  So 
says  God;  and  his  friendship  has  eternity  to 
work  in;  so  also  has  every  human  friendship. 
Let  us  wait,  but  in  faith."  This  ending,  some 
what  enigmatical  to  her,  had  yet  recurred  to 
her  heart  so  often  that  she  knew  the  words 
by  heart. 

The  next  letter  had  been  written  more  re 
cently,  after  a  long  interval.  At  the  end  of 
this  letter  Ephraim  had  said,  "  I  am  persuad 
ed  that  what  we  need  to  help  our  faith  is  never 
more  knowledge,  but  always  more  love.  I 
cannot  interpret  this  but  by  telling  you  of  a 
fact  which  I  feel  to  be  the  key  to  a  great — 
the  greatest — truth.  I  know  a  man  who  be 
lieved  in  God.  He  met  a  woman  whom  he 
loved,  not  as  many  love,  but  (I  know  not 
why)  with  all  the  loves  of  his  heart,  as  father, 
as  mother,  as  brother,  friend,  might  love;  as 
lover  he  loved  her  with  all  these  loves.  After 
that  he  knew  God  with  a  knowledge  that 
passed  belief.  He  could  argue  no  more,  but 
he  knew.  This  I  think  is  the  sort  of  knowl 
edge  which  guides  unerringly."  Susannah  re 
membered,  if  not  the  words,  all  that  this  pas 
sage  contained.  She  had  wondered  at  it  not 
a  little. 


268  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

Up  to  the  time  of  Angel's  death  she  had 
rejoiced  in  these  letters,  not  doubting  that 
Ephraim  had  remained  the  same  self-sacrific 
ing  friend — ready  out  of  mere  but  perfect 
kindness  to  befriend  her  to  the  uttermost. 
She  had  not  doubted  because  she  had  not 
questioned.  Now  disquieting  thoughts  inter 
vened,  producing  a  new  shyness.  She  re 
membered  their  last  interview,  and  wondered 
if  Ephraim  would  feel  the  same  responsibility 
for  her  if  she  returned  destitute.  Perhaps  the 
ardour  of  his  friendship  had  cooled.  Perhaps 
in  the  last  letter  he  had  intended  to  suggest 
to  her  that  he  thought  of  marriage,  and  this 
time  for  love,  not  kindness,  the  lady  being 
one  of  his  new  Hartford  friends. 

But  no  doubt  the  principal  reason  of  Su 
sannah's  dalliance  with  time  in  those  first 
weeks  of  her  moral  freedom  was  the  mental 
weakness  that  succeeds  shock.  Every  day  she 
thought  that  she  would  soon  write  that  beg 
ging  letter,  until  the  day  came  when  oppor 
tunity  ceased. 

When  the  Danite  left  he  had  promised  the 
farmer  to  return  as  soon  as  it  was  possible 
to  place  Susannah  in  safety  with  her  Mor 
mon  friends.  When  she  began  to  speak  of 
leaving,  her  host  told  her  this  for  the  first 
time. 

"And  what  is  the  young  man's  name?  " 
the  old  man  asked  of  Susannah.  They  were 
in  the  long  living-room  at  the  mid-day  meal. 
His  sons,  who  were  leaving  the  table,  waited 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  269 

to  hear  the  answer;  the  mother,  the  very  chil 
dren,  looked  at  her  with  interest. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  said  Susannah. 

There  was  a  pause,  and  for  the  first  time 
she  was  aware  that  there  was  some  sentiment 
in  the  minds  of  her  hearers  which  did  not  ap 
pear  upon  the  surface. 

She  went  on,  "  I  don't  know  why  he 
should  trouble  himself  to  come  back  for  me 
except  that — I  think  that  he  was  much 
touched  by  some  earnest  words  my  husband 
said  to  him  that  he  did  not  see  his  way  to 
accept,  and  I  think  also  that  he  is  zealous  for 
the  Church." 

Her  surpassing  wrongs  had  so  far  set  her 
apart  and  made  all  that  she  said  and  did 
sacred.  No  one  questioned  her  further. 

In  the  beginning  of  February  the  Danite 
reappeared.  He  came  under  the  cover  of 
night,  but  showed  himself  only  when  the 
household  was  awake.  He  was  much  thinner, 
more  gaunt  than  before,  but  in  frankness  and 
quietude  the  same.  His  first  words  to  Susan 
nah  had  an  import  she  did  not  expect. 

"  That  young  lady  you  mentioned  to  me 
— I  said  she  was  dead  because  you  were  half 
crazy,  and  would  have  gone  back  to  her,  but 
I  worked  round  till  I  found  her;  she  got  to 
the  city  of  Far  West  right  enough." 

After  a  while  he  said,  "  That  young  lady 
and  some  other  of  our  folks  have  got  horses 
and  they're  going  into  Illinois  now.  Most  of 
our  folks  are  walking.  It's  about  as  bad  as 


2/0  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

can  be,  but  I  guess  you'll  have  to  go.  We'll 
be  safe  enough,  for  as  long  as  we  go  straight 
on  the  Gentiles  are  bound  to  let  us  pass.  I 
tried  to  get  some  better  sort  of  a  way  for  you 
and  her,  but  there  ain't  no  way  unless  we 
would  have  sworn  we  weren't  Saints  and  gone 
pretending  to  be  Gentiles,  but  even  then  we 
haven't  got  the  money." 

Susannah  was  thrilled  with  excited  dis 
tress.  She  was  not  prepared  to  make  an 
abrupt  decision,  and  it  appeared  that  if  she 
desired  to  join  this  company  she  must  go  that 
evening  or  not  at  all. 

During  the  hours  of  the  morning  her  mind 
cowered,  dismayed.  Should  she  now  re 
nounce  her  husband's  sect,  refusing  to  suffer 
with  them?  She  had  not  as  yet  fortitude  to 
do  this.  Halsey's  eyes,  the  touch  of  his  hand, 
her  baby's  voice  lisping  the  tenets  of  their 
faith  in  repetition  of  his  father's  solemn  tones, 
these  were  sights  and  sounds  as  yet  too  near 
her.  To  her  shocked  fancy  the  child  and  his 
father  were  only  gone  out  of  sight,  but  near 
enough  to  be  cruelly  hurt  by  her  public  per 
version.  And,  moreover,  if  she  should  take 
this  course  she  must  write  to  Ephraim  at  once, 
for  she  could  not  well  remain  where  she  was 
without  definite  purpose  in  view. 

Susannah  had  sought  seclusion  in  which 
to  think,  and  the  younger  son  of  the  house 
intruded  himself.  He  was  perhaps  about 
thirty  years  of  age,  a  burly  man,  resolute  and 
passionate.  He  spoke  fairly  enough.  The 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  271 

Danite  himself  had  said  that  the  journey  to 
which  she  was  haled  by  her  friends  was  one 
of  untold  hardship,  its  end  uncertain;  he  of 
fered  her  all  that  an  honest  and  prosperous 
man  could  offer,  but  went  on  to  urge  on  his 
own  behalf  the  strength  of  those  sentiments 
which  he  had  learned  to  entertain  for  her — 
his  admiration  (Susannah  sickened  at  the 
word),  his  love  (she  shrank  in  fear). 

She  rose  up  with  the  moan  of  a  hunted 
thing.  She  did  not  pause  to  make  excuses 
for  the  hunter,  to  consider  the  pioneer  life 
that  wots  little  of  sentiment  in  proportion  to 
utility;  she  only  saw  again  the  grave  at  Haun's 
Mill  and  the  white  faces  of  her  dead  upturned 
to  hers.  It  seemed  that  this  man,  with  the 
consent  of  his  people,  was  urging  his  suit  as 
it  were  beside  the  very  corpse  of  her  husband. 
The  Danite  had  shown  Angel  reverence,  had 
shown  by  his  every  word  and  glance  that  he 
counted  her  as  belonging  to  the  dead  man 
whose  blood  he  carried  at  his  heart. 

Susannah  rode  out  from  that  temporary 
home  at  nightfall  upon  the  Danite's  horse. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

IT  was  the  season  of  rain  and  sleet,  of  rude 
northerly  winds.  The  roads,  across  a  tract  of 
flat  fields  and  in  among  the  low  woods  that 
fringed  the  rivers,  were  heavy  with  mud. 

After  riding  half  the  night  on  a  pillion  be 
hind  the  Danite,  Susannah  entered  the  Mor 
mon  camp.  Up  and  down  the  sides  of  a  dirty- 
road,  in  waggons,  in  small  tents,  and  in  the 
open,  men,  women,  and  children  were  lying 
huddled  in  family  groups.  How  far  these 
crowds  extended  she  could  not  see.  Watch- 
fires  were  burning  here  and  there,  and  in  the 
fields  on  either  side  a  patrol  of  Missouri  mili 
tia  were  heard  scoffing  and  shouting  in  the 
darkness.  The  Danite  answered  the  challenge 
of  one  of  these  men  with  apparent  meekness; 
Susannah  perceived  that  he  had  gained  in  self- 
control.  When  they  had  entered  the  road, 
along  the  sides  of  which  the  forlorn  multitude 
lay,  they  travelled  for  some  way  upon  it,  the 
Danite  speaking  in  low  tones  now  and  then 
to  the  Mormon  watchers.  At  length  they 
came  to  a  place  where  a  few  wagg-ons  of  bet 
ter  description  were  standing  and  a  number 
of  horses  were  tied;  here  he  lifted  Susannah 
from  the  horse.  Three  of  the  Mormon  lead- 
272 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  273 

ers  came  up;  they  evidently  knew  her  and  her 
story.  The  eldest  took  her  hand  and  spoke  in 
broken  tones  of  the  crown  which  Halsey  had 
won  in  the  unseen  city  of  God. 

These  were  the  first  words  that  Susannah 
had  heard  in  unison  with  Halsey's  own 
thoughts,  and  for  his  sake  they  endeared  the 
whole  wretched  Mormon  encampment  to  her. 

A  woman,  her  head  and  shoulders  wrapped 
in  a  shawl,  sprang  down  from  one  of  the  wag 
gons,  and  Elvira  encountered  Susannah. 

"  You  expect  me  to  say  that  I  am  sorry 
for  you,"  she  said  hurriedly;  "  I  will  not.  It 
is  not  a  time  for  grief.  We  each  of  us  have 
just  so  much  power  of  being  sorry  and  no 
more,  and  the  well  has  gone  dry.  I  am  glad 
you  have  come.  There  are  a  great  many 
things  that  one  can  yet  be  a  little  glad  for; 
but  you  must  make  haste  to  lie  down,  for  we 
shall  soon  enough  be  called  to  the  march." 

The  beds  shaken  down  on  the  floor  of 
the  waggon  were  covered  with  reclining 
women.  Some  of  them  squeezed  themselves 
together  to  make  the  place  Elvira  had  vacated 
large  enough  for  two.  Susannah  stretched 
herself  out,  loathing  with  her  senses  the 
crowded  bed,  but  with  a  tender  heart  for  her 
fellow-sufferers.  After  the  long  dumb  weeks 
of  her  stern  sorrow,  after  that  day's  revolt  of 
injured  sentiment,  she  felt  that  it  was  worth 
while  to  have  come  here  if  only  to  have  made 
some  one  else,  as  Elvira  had  said,  "  a  little 
glad." 


274  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

The  dawn  came  sighing  fitfully,  long  sighs 
that  rose  in  the  distant  fields  to  the  east  meet 
ing  them  in  their  pilgrimage  and  dying  away 
westward;  the  dawn  wept  also,  scattering  her 
tears  upon  them  in  like  transient  showers. 

Elvira  found  her  own  horse.  The  Danite 
had  used  yesterday  the  animal  he  had  pro 
vided  for  Susannah. 

"  But  what  right  have  I  to  his  horse?  " 
Susannah  began  her  question  impetuously, 
but  Elvira  silenced  her. 

"  Hush!  Don't  let  the  other  women  know 
that  it  isn't  yours.  Poor  things,  they  will 
begin  to  ask  why  it  isn't  theirs.  Do  you  think 
that  we  are  living  on  bowing  terms,  curtsey 
ing  to  each  other  and  saying,  '  After  you, 
madam,  if  you  please  '?  " 

Elvira  was  changed.  Terror  had  at  last 
done  its  work.  Her  pretty  features  were 
drawn  with  anxiety;  her  eye  glittered. 

"  I  have  been  baptized,"  she  said  to  Susan 
nah  in  hard  tones.  "  When  I  saw  the  water 
red  with  blood  I  went  down  into  it." 

Eastward,  facing  the  gusty  sobs  of  the 
winter  morning,  they  went.  The  road  was 
soft,  and  hundreds  of  feet  treading  in  front  of 
them  had  kneaded  water  and  earth  together 
into  a  slippery  mass.  As  far  as  could  be  seen 
in  front  and  behind,  the  line  of  the  pilgrimage 
stretched,  women  and  children  plodding  with 
burdens  on  their  backs,  men  pushing  hand 
carts  before  them,  only  here  and  there  a  wag 
gon  or  a  group  of  horses. 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  275 

Elvira  took  up  several  children  on  her 
horse,  and  pointed  out  to  Susannah  a  sickly 
woman  to  whom  she  could  give  a  turn  upon 
the  pillion  that  she  herself  had  ridden  during 
the  night.  So  they  began  one  of  many  weary 
days. 

To  the  good  the  necessities  of  compassion 
are  as  strong  as  are  the  necessities  of  selfish 
ness  to  the  wicked.  Within  a  day  or  two  both 
Susannah  and  Elvira  had  given  up  their  horses 
entirely  to  women  who  had  been  taken  ill  by 
the  way.  At  first  they  plodded  arm  in  arm, 
thinking  that  merely  to  walk  was  all  that  their 
strength  could  endure;  but  there  were  other 
women  who  had  children  to  carry,  women 
even  who  must  push  hand-carts  before  them, 
and  there  were  little  children  who  sank  one 
by  one  exhausted  on  the  winter  road,  as  lambs 
fall  when  their  mothers  are  driven  far. 

After  the  march  had  continued  for  a  few 
days  there  was  much  illness.  All  clothing  and 
bedding  was  wet  with  the  winter  rain,  chilled 
and  stiff  with  the  frosts.  On  the  faces  of  many 
the  unnatural  flush  and  excitement  of  fever 
were  seen,  and  other  faces  grew  pallid,  the 
lips  blue  or  dark,  and  the  eyes  sunken.  To 
all  who  retained  the  natural  hue  and  pulses 
of  health  a  heavier  burden  was  added  every 
day  because  of  the  help  they  must  needs  give 
if  they  would  not  bury  too  many  of  their  com 
rades  by  the  wayside.  In  that  sad  caravan 
souls  were  born  into  the  world  or  freed  from 
it  by  death  almost  every  hour. 


276  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

Susannah  was  greatly  struck  by  the  meek 
manner  of  the  boldest  and  roughest  of  the 
Mormon  leaders  in  their  dealings  with  the 
parties  of  Missouri  militia  who,  with  the  os 
tensible  purpose  of  defending  Missouri  home 
steads  from  Mormon  violence,  drove  the 
stricken  multitude  as  with  goads.  She  had 
learned  from  her  husband  what  the  strength 
of  true  meekness  could  be,  the  lightness  of 
heart  which  commits  itself  to  God,  who  juclg- 
eth  righteously,  the  glance  of  love  that  has 
no  reserve  of  hatred,  the  infinite  force  that 
can  afford  to  be  gentle.  Such  a  spirit  had 
upheld  Angel  Halsey,  but  his  widow  looked 
in  vain  among  the  leaders  of  this  band  for  a 
face  that  bespoke  the  same  upholding.  She 
soon  perceived  that  there  was  among  them  a 
free-masonry  of  understanding,  and  that  their 
mildness  was  assumed  to  serve  the  tempo 
rary  purpose.  By  many  a  prayer  she  heard 
breathed,  which  was  in  truth,  though  not  in 
form,  a  curse,  she  knew  that  in  the  souls  of 
Halsey's  successors  there  was  no  forgiveness, 
yet  her  heart  went  out  in  sympathy  to  men 
who  were  sacrificing  their  own  sense  of  hon 
our,  holding  in  check  their  most  delicious  im 
pulses  of  revenge,  for  the  sake  of  being  worthy 
shepherds  to  the  weak. 

"  Do  you  love  them  the  less  because  they 
are  not  angels?  "  asked  Elvira.  "  Have  you 
forgiven?  " 

Susannah  shuddered  at  the  intensity  of 
the  hard  low  tones,  the  passion  in  the  word 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  277 

"  love,"  the  sneer  in  the  word  "  forgive."  Yet 
she  knew  that  the  rage  against  injustice  which 
in  youth  had  driven  her  forth  upon  this  jour 
ney  had,  since  the  death  of  her  child,  changed 
into  such  fierce  hatred  of  the  persecutors  that 
she  could,  except  for  very  fear  of  herself,  have 
taken  upon  her  own  soul  the  Danite's  vow. 
In  these  days  the  pain  of  bodily  suffering  or 
heart-felt  grief  was  as  nothing  compared  with 
her  agony  when  at  times  waves  of  this  hatred 
passed  over  her  heart. 

The  two  friends  were  walking  together, 
pushing  before  them  a  small  cart  in  which,  on 
the  top  of  the  bundles  of  household  goods, 
a  wretched  woman  and  her  newborn  child 
were  lying,  covered  under  a  scanty  tarpauling 
from  the  driving  sleet.  The  mud  splashed  be 
neath  their  feet;  Susannah  had  little  breath 
or  strength  for  speech.  Elvira,  more  slightly 
made,  in  every  way  more  fragile,  had  seemed 
to  develop,  with  every  new  phase  of  suffering, 
more  strength  of  muscle  and  hatred  and  love. 

They  passed  now  two  of  the  leaders.  It 
was  the  custom  for  a  certain  number  of  these 
men  to  go  forward  and  station  themselves  in 
pairs  at  intervals  upon  the  road,  cheering  each 
group  as  it  passed  them,  noting  with  careful 
eyes  if  any  ill  could  be  remedied  by  change 
of  posture  or  exchange  of  burdens.  One  of 
them  now,  seeing  the  work  to  whi.ch  Susan 
nah  had  set  herself,  interfered.  He  was  about 
sixty  years  of  age,  coarse  in  appearance,  an 
elder  whose  wife  and  family  Susannah  knew 


278  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

by  reputation.  He  and  his  fellows  called  a 
halt,  looking  for  some  man  who  might  push 
the  cart,  but  there  was  none  within  sight  who 
was  not  already  overburdened,  nor  was  there 
a  waggon  that  was  not  already  overfilled  with 
the  sick  and  exhausted.  The  elder,  whose 
name  happened  to  be  Darling,  found  in  this 
particular  instance  reason  to  swerve  from  his 
position  of  guard.  He  left  the  post  in  charge 
of  his  fellow  and  pushed  the  cart.  It  was  a 
habit  with  many  of  these  leaders  to  seek  to 
lighten  the  way  by  jocularities,  and  Susannah 
had  before  observed  that,  whether  the  jests 
arose  with  ease  or  effort  from  the  heavy  hearts 
of  those  who  made  them,  a  large  proportion 
of  the  people  were  evidently  cheered  thereby. 
She  could  put  aside  her  own  tastes  for  the 
public  good;  she  could  even  excuse  when  this 
rough  comfort  was  offered  to  herself.  Dar 
ling,  labouring  behind  the  cart,  made  light  of 
the  service  he  rendered. 

He  said  first  that  the  newborn  babe  must 
be  called  after  him,  and  when  he  learned  its 
sex  he  gave  permission  to  the  ladies  to  decide 
between  them  which  should  share  this  honour. 

"  Shall  it  be  'darling  Susannah'?"  he 
asked,  making  gentle  his  tone  as  he  addressed 
the  stately  widow,  "  or  shall  it  be  '  Elvira  dar 
ling'?"  This  time  he  turned  his  head  with 
a  broader  smile  toward  Elvira's  sharp  little 
features. 

Susannah  felt  that  her  hypersensitive 
nerves  could  almost  have  called  his  smile  a 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  279 

leer;  but  she  looked  at  the  man's  broad  face, 
whose  lines  told  of  no  resources  of  thought, 
no  great  natural  capacity  for  heroism,  and  yet 
were  furrowed  by  the  sharpness  of  this  perse 
cution.  The  face  would  have  been  fat  had  it 
not  been  half-starved.  It  was  pale  now  under 
the  ill-kempt  hair,  and  the  set  purpose  of  help 
fulness  was  stamped  upon  it.  She  took  back 
the  word  "  leer  "  out  of  mere  respect.  Dar 
ling  had  given  away  his  shoes;  he  was  walk 
ing  barefoot;  he  had  given  away  coat  and  vest 
also,  and  the  rotund  lines  of  his  figure  were 
unpleasantly  obvious  under  the  wet  shirt,  and 
yet  Susannah  knew  and  bowed  to  the  fact  that 
some  sick  man  or  little  child  was  wrapped  in 
the  garments  that  were  gone. 

But  Elvira  was  expressing  with  hysterical 
warmth  the  same  sentiments. 

"  I  guess  I'll  feel  it  an  honour  to  have  my 
name  joined  with  yours.  I  haven't  got  the 
length  of  taking  off  my  shoes  yet." 

Darling  began  to  sing  one  of  the  inspirit 
ing  Mormon  hymns. 

"  When  Joseph  to  Cumorah  came." 

"  Poor  Joe!  "  Elvira  spoke  to  the  elder  in 
a  confidential  whisper,  "  when  he  cheated  over 
the  bank  I  thought  some  fiend  had  put  a  ring 
in  his  nose,  and  was  leading  him  out  to  dance, 
and  that  I  should  be  able  to  sit  and  laugh. 
Now  he's  lying  upon  straw  in  the  gaol.  What 
will  they  do  to  him  if  they  lynch  him?  " 

"  Tear  him  limb  from  limb,"  whispered 
19 


280  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

Darling,  also  under  his  breath.  He  was  prob 
ably  shrewd  enough  to  know  the  force  of 
Smith's  suffering  in  stimulating  the  piety  of 
the  faithful,  but  truth,  and  grief  concerning 
the  truth,  were  in  his  words  also.  He  sighed 
a  big  sincere  sigh,  and  repeated  sadly,  "  Tear 
him  limb  from  limb,  or  burn  him  to  death  by 
a  slow  fire."  Such  atrocities,  as  practised 
upon  criminal  negroes,  were  not  unknown  in 
the  locality,  which  gave  the  elder's  words  a 
graphic  power,  but  Elvira's  answer  was  whol 
ly  unexpected. 

"  How  droll!  "  she  returned. 

The  elder  was  annoyed.  He  had  not  re 
fined  susceptibilities  which  sought  immediate 
relief  from  the  dreadful  pictures  he  had  sug 
gested,  nor  did  he  at  all  comprehend  that  her 
rippling  smile  was  hysterical.  "  I  don't  see 
anything  droll  about  it,  sister,"  he  said  sulkily. 

"  Don't  you?  Now,  it  all  seems  to  me 
very  droll — you  splashing  along  there  bare 
foot,  why  "  (she  drew  back  a  little  to  get  the 
better  view,  laughing  excitedly),  "  you've  no 
idea  how  ridiculous  you  look;  and  Mrs.  Hal- 
sey  stalking  along  like  a  dignified  ghost,  afraid 
that  you  and  I  will  kiss  one  another  if  we 
take  to  whispering,  and  this  woman  dying 
here  with  her  head  resting  on  a  sack  of  pota 
toes,  and  the  impudent  little  person  you've 
just  christened  intruding  herself  upon  the 
world  only  to  go  out  of  it  again,  and  all  these 
fine  people  in  Missouri  rubbing  their  hands 
and  thinking  they  have  done  such  a  noble 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  281 

deed.  I  think,"  she  added,  laughing  more 
loudly,  "  that  they  are  the  drollest  part  of  it 
all." 

"  This  nation  will  find  that  there's  a  sequel 
to  it  that  they  won't  laugh  at."  These  words 
of  Darling  came  from  some  region  under 
neath  that  of  his  ordinary  conversation,  as  a 
man  takes  a  dagger  from  under  his  cloak  and 
lets  it  flash  ere  he  hides  it  again.  "  The  gov 
ernment  of  these  United  States  that  has 
laughed  at  our  sufferings  will  rue  the  day." 

"  Even  your  saying  that  is  very  droll,  but 
I  love  you  for  it."  Elvira  lifted  both  her 
hands  as  if  testifying  to  her  own  sincerity.  "  I 
love  you  for  it." 

The  elder  thought  it  needful  here  to  be 
again  jocose.  "  Oh,  come  now,  I  am  mar 
ried." 

Elvira  did  not  feel  herself  insulted. 
"These  United  States,"  she  cried,  "they 
cackle  over  the  word  *  freedom  '  like  so  many 
hens  that  have  each  of  them  laid  an  egg  and 
go  strutting  and  boasting  while  the  house 
wife  empties  their  nests.  The  housewife  rep 
resents  the  natural  course  of  events,  and  in 
this  case  her  name  is  '  Mrs.  Mobocracy.' ' 

At  other  times,  after  a  long  period  of  si 
lence,  Elvira  would  burst  forth  in  excited 
soliloquy  audible  to  Susannah  and  others 
about  her.  On  the  last  day  when  they  were 
descending  the  hills  to  the  Mississippi  her 
increasing  excitement  culminated  in  a  greater 
demonstration.  The  sun  was  shining,  and  a 


282  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

clear  frost  had  hardened  the  roads.  Elvira 
broke  forth  thus — 

"  It  is  Joe  Smith  who  is  conducting  this 
march.  We  say  that  he  is  lying  in  gaol,"  she 
laughed.  "  In  gaol  is  he?  Have  they  got 
him  safe?  But  it  was  he  who  taught  all  these 
men  to  work  together,  one  under  the  other, 
and  none  of  them  kicking;  and  it  was  he  who 
taught  these  women  and  children  to  do  as 
they  are  bid — a  wonderful  thing  that  in  the 
land  of  the  free.  It  was  he  who  taught  one 
and  all  of  us  to  be  kind  to  each  other,  to  the 
poor  and  the  sick  and  the  young,  to  the  very 
beasts.  Do  you  remember  that  when  they 
caught  our  prophet  at  Hiram  and  dragged 
him  out  to  be  beaten  and  insulted,  they  had 
first  to  take  from  his  arms  a  sick  motherless 
baby  that  he  was  sitting  up  all  night  to  nurse? 
Do  you  remember  how  he  gave  command 
ment  about  the  animals?  how  he  said  that  any 
man  striking  a  beast  in  anger  was  thrown  so 
far  back  on  his  road  to  heaven?  "  She  paused 
when  she  had  thrown  out  this  question,  and 
the  men  and  women  within  hearing  answered 
in  broken  chorus,  "  Yes,  blessed  be  the  Lord; 
we  do  remember." 

"  And  who  was  it  that  taught  us  to  give 
up  the  filthy  Gentile  habits  of  strong  drink 
and  tobacco?  "  (Again  in  the  pause  the  cho 
rus  of  thanksgiving  to  Heaven  was  heard.) 
"  It  was  Joe  Smith,"  Elvira  cried  more  loudly. 
"  And  when  the  Gentiles  thought  that  we 
would  be  scattered  and  separated  and  ruined, 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  283 

his  spirit  has  gone  like  a  banner  before  us. 
Twice  they  have  taken  our  lands  that  we 
bought  with  our  own  money  and  cleared  with 
our  own  hands,  and  the  houses  that  we  have 
built,  and  cast  us  out  destitute,  but  we  are  not 
destroyed." 

The  enthusiasm  of  the  crowd  that  now 
pressed  upon  her  went  like  wine  to  her  head; 
her  cheeks  flamed,  her  eyes  brightened,  and 
she  lifted  her  small  hands  in  fantastic  gesture 
and  danced,  crying,  "  We  are  cast  down,  but 
not  destroyed,  because  God  Almighty  has 
given  to  us  a  prophet,  and  a  great  prophet." 

And  the  people  around  her  answered 
again,  "  Blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord." 

It  was  whispered  about  the  camp  that  the 
spirit  of  prophecy  had  fallen  upon  Elvira 
Halsey. 

On  the  afternoon  of  that  day  they  saw 
the  ice  that  floated  in  large  cakes  on  the  breast 
of  the  Mississippi  flash  back  the  sunbeams  to 
their  straining  eyes.  The  sight  of  the  limits 
of  the  hostile  State  from  which  they  were  fly 
ing  was  a  great  joy  to  every  one  of  them.  Su 
sannah  felt  her  heart  leap;  Elvira,  with  the 
growing  tendency  to  cling  to  her  which  she 
had  displayed  since  their  last  meeting,  cast 
her  arms  around  her  and  sobbed  for  joy. 

After  this  blessed  glimpse  of  the  river  they 
went  down  through  the  recesses  of  a  low  for 
est,  the  frost  and  the  sunshine  still  inspiriting 
them.  As  they  went,  the  melody  of  a  hymn 
was  taken  up  from  one  end  of  the  caravan  to 


284  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

the  other  by  all  those  well  enough  to  join  in 
the  song.  It  was  a  swinging  triumphant  air, 
and  Susannah  found  herself  uplifted  for  the 
first  time  since  the  days  of  her  baptism  upon 
the  party  spirit  of  the  sect,  and  singing  with 
them,  although  she  could  only  catch  the  words 
of  the  refrain  often  repeated, 

"  Missouri, 
In  her  lawless  fury, 
Without  judge  or.  jury, 
Drove  the  Saints  and  spilt  their  blood." 

Again  the  mind  of  Joseph  Smith  had  over 
mastered  Susannah's  mind.  As  Elvira  had 
said,  he,  lying  in  a  gaol  far  away,  enduring 
hardship,  imminent  danger  of  torturing  death, 
was  by  his  spirit  animating  this  motley  crowd, 
and  now  at  last  again  his  will  broke  down 
the  barriers  of  reason  that  Susannah  had  raised 
and  fortified  even  against  the  love  of  her  child 
and  the  long  reverence  she  had  yielded  to  her 
husband.  The  true  secret  of  human  leader 
ship  is,  perhaps,  known  only  to  the  Divine 
mind,  perhaps  also  to  the  Satanic.  It  would 
certainly  seem  that  the  men  who  chance  upon 
the  power  and  wield  it,  have  often  little  un 
derstanding  of  the  law  by  which  they  work, 
and  their  critics  less. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

THE  Mississippi  was  filled  with  large  cakes 
of  floating  ice.  Another  company  which  had 
gone  out  from  Far  West  some  weeks  before 
was  still  encamped  on  the  Missouri  banks  of 
the  river.  Yet  other  companies  from  Far 
West  came  up  before  the  main  body  of  the 
Saints  with  which  Susannah  had  travelled  was 
able  to  cross.  The  surrounding  woods  were 
cut  down  to  make  shanties;  the  surrounding 
country  was  scoured  for  food.  In  the  inter 
vening  weeks,  while  they  lay  encamped  on 
the  banks,  the  last  enemy  to  be  vanquished 
in  that  region,  the  malarial  fever,  grappled 
with  the  sect  and  dealt  deadly  wounds.  Illi 
nois,  shocked  by  the  cruelty  of  her  sister  State, 
held  out  kind  hands  and  fed  the  fugitives  to 
some  extent,  and  when  April  came,  helped 
them  to  cross  the  river. 

Elvira  had  been  ill  in  one  of  the  women's 
sheds,  now  shrieking  in  hot  delirium,  now 
shaken  with  ague  as  if  by  a  strong  beast  that 
worried  its  prey.  When  they  at  last  crossed 
the  river  to  the  city  of  Quincy,  Susannah  was 
established  with  her  charge,  the  one  legacy 
of  relationship  Halsey  had  left  her,  in  a 

285 


286  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

meagre  home  with  some  of  the  Saints  who 
already  lived  there. 

Within  a  few  days  Susannah  went  to  the 
tithing  office,  which  had  been  swiftly  estab 
lished  for  the  relief  of  the  destitute  Saints, 
and  asked  for  paper  on  which  she  could  write 
a  letter.  It  was  her  first  chance,  since  leaving 
her  last  asylum,  of  writing  the  proposed  letter 
to  Ephraim  Croom.  Elder  Darling  was  of 
ficiating.  She  fancied  that  he  looked  at  her 
with  rude  curiosity. 

Until  this  moment  she  had  presented  so 
sad  an  exterior,  had  seemed  so  indifferent  to 
all  the  ills  of  their  common  lot,  that  Darling 
and  the  other  men  who  had  dealings  with  her 
had  stood  not  a  little  in  awe.  As  outward 
physical  details  of  suffering  always  appeal 
more  largely  to  common  sympathy  than  in 
ward  grief,  the  manner  of  her  loss  had  set  a 
temporary  crown  upon  her  head,  to  which 
the  elders  had  knelt,  refusing  to  admonish  her 
because  she  took  no  part  in  their  public  serv 
ices,  or  because,  except  for  attention  to  the 
sick,  she  did  not  give  much  sign  of  social 
comradeship. 

Now  when  she  asked  for  the  paper,  Dar 
ling  felt  that  the  ice  was  beginning  to  break, 
and  gave  what  seemed  to  him  genial  encour 
agement. 

"  First  time  that  you've  asked  for  anything 
but  daily  rations,  Sister  Halsey;  glad  to  see 
you  plucking  up  heart.  The  living  God  giv- 
eth  us  all  things  richly  to  enjoy."  He  re- 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  287 

peated  the  last  words  in  an  unctuous  drawl 
while  he  was  looking  for  the  paper,  "  richly 
to — enjoy.  Well  now,  I  was  thinking  we  had 
some  with  a  black  border  on  it,  but  you're 
more  than  welcome  to  such  as  there  is." 

The  stores  indeed  were  scanty  enough; 
food,  cloth,  household  utensils,  a  little  sta 
tionery,  a  large  pile  of  devotional  books,  were 
arranged  in  meagre  order  in  the  shed  used 
as  a  warehouse.  Darling  had  as  yet  scarcely 
respectable  clothes  to  wear,  but  Susannah 
was  astonished  only  at  the  energy  that  had 
in  a  few  days  collected  so  much,  at  the  order 
and  patient  kindliness  which  ruled  in  this  pov 
erty-stricken  administration.  Already  those 
who  could  work  paid  into  the  common  store, 
and  those  who  had  lost  all  had  but  to  state 
their  needs  to  have  them  supplied  as  well  as 
might  be. 

"  One,  two,  three — will  three  sheets  be 
enough,  Sister  Halsey?  You've  been  hearing, 
I  suppose,  that  Mr.  Smith  is  going  to  be 
moved. to  the  town  of  Boome,  and  that  he  is 
going  to  be  allowed  to  get  his  letters  now? 
He'd  be  real  cheered  to  hear  from  you,  al 
though  " — he  added  this  with  decent  haste — 
"  it  will  be  a  great  grief  to  him  to  hear  of  your 
loss." 

"  Is  he  well?  "  she  asked. 

"  The  State  authorities  are  in  a  fine  to-do 
about  him,  I  suppose  you  know,  sister,  for 
they  can't  find  a  single  charge  to  bring  him 
to  trial  on.  You  bet  the  trial  would  have 


288  THE   MORMON   PROPHET. 

been  on  long  ago  if  they'd  had  a  single  leg  to 
stand  on.  Anything  else  that  I  can  serve  you 
with  to-day?  We've  got  some  new  women's 
shawls  and  hats  come  in.  Won't  you  just 
step  here  and  have  a  look  at  them?  No? 
Well,  next  time;  but  there  ain't  one  of  our 
women  as  doesn't  want  one  of  them  new 
bonnets." 

Susannah  went  out  into  the  spring  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  town.  The  birds  were  sing 
ing;  everywhere  the  dandelions  swelled  out 
their  happy  tufted  breasts  to  the  sunshine; 
even  a  long  worm  that  she  noticed  crawling 
lazily  in  the  heat  spoke  to  her  of  enjoyment 
of  some  sort.  Her  own  heart  leaped,  and 
she  thought  it  was  in  answer  to  the  spring. 
She  forgot  the  dire  fates  with  which  she 
had  been  grappling,  forgot  to  hate  and  to 
grieve. 

In  the  small  wooden  room  that  she  shared 
with  Elvira,  while  the  invalid  slept,  she  wrote 
to  Ephraim,  telling  him  all  that  had  befallen 
her.  She  confessed  to  Ephraim  the  passion 
of  hatred  which  had  long  tormented  her,  but 
she  added,  "To-day  I  do  not  feel  it;  to-day, 
with  the  sweet  voices  of  the  birds  everywhere 
in  my  ears,  I  feel  that  if  I  could  be  beside  you 
again  you  could  teach  me  to  forgive  as  my 
husband  forgave,  for  I  do  know  to-clay  that 
in  forgiveness  alone  is  the  true  triumph,  the 
only  healing.  I  am  more  one  with  my  hus 
band's  sect  now  than  I  ever  was  in  heart  and 
hope.  I  long  to  see  it  triumphant;  I  long  to 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  289 

see  its  enemies  abashed;  but  I  will  leave  this 
people  and  come  back  to  you,  if  you  will  have 
me,  for  with  regard  to  their  religious  faith  my 
life  with  them  is  a  lie." 

The  writing  took  so  long  that  when  she 
carried  the  letter  again  to  the  tithing  office 
to  be  stamped  and  sent,  the  post-bag  of  that 
day  had  already  gone.  Later,  when  the  office 
was  closed  to  the  public  and  Elder  Darling 
was  alone,  he  took  up  the  letter  which  Susan 
nah  had  brought  and  looked  at  it  curiously. 
His  eyes  had  caught  the  address.  He  was  not 
sure  that  he  would  have  put  it  in  the  bag  even 
if  it  had  been  in  time,  and  now  it  was  clearly 
his  duty  to  consider.  His  was  a  mind  in  which 
there  was  no  place  for  platonic  friendship,  and 
Susannah  was  obviously  a  most  desirable  piece 
of  property  to  the  struggling  Church.  The 
Church  had  provided  the  paper  for  this  letter, 
must  needs  provide  the  stamp;  he  was  of 
ficially  responsible  to  the  Church.  The  elder 
had  been  an  honest  man  according  to  the 
average  notions  of  honesty  until  within  the 
last  weeks,  when  stress  of  circumstance  had 
made  him  reconsider,  not  for  himself  but  for 
others,  more  than  one  rule  of  life,  and  obtain 
larger  latitude.  The  building  up  of  the 
Church  in  her  present  sore  strait  was  surely 
an  end  to  override  small  scruples.  He  acted 
now  as  an  official,  as  a  priest,  when,  after  a 
good  many  painful  qualms  of  conscience,  he 
opened  the  letter.  After  having  read  its  con 
tents,  he  became  convinced  that  it  was  for 


290  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

the  good  of  Susannah's  own  soul  that  it  should 
not  go. 

The  ground  about  Quincy  had  been 
drained;  the  town  was  comparatively  healthy; 
in  a  few  days  more  some  two  thousand  of  the 
fugitives  felt  again  the  pulse  of  life  in  their 
veins.  Then  they  looked  abroad  and  clasped 
every  man  the  hand  of  his  neighbour,  and 
said  "  Thanks  be  to  God,"  and  even  embraced 
one  another  in  the  joy  of  relief.  History  often 
shows  how  exuberant  is  the  joy  of  human  na 
ture  at  escape,  and  that  the  impulse  of  joy  is 
almost  one  with  the  impulse  of  affection.  At 
the  abatement  of  the  London  plague  we  see 
Britons  kiss  each  other  in  the  streets,  and  at 
the  relief  of  besieged  towns,  in  our  own  day, 
staid  persons  have  caressed  one  another,  un 
mindful  of  what  they  did.  So  it  was  now  with 
the  members  of  this  driven  sect.  The  spirit 
of  joy  and  a  closer  bond  of  affection  went  in 
fectiously  through  the  gathering  Church. 
Upon  the  first  Sunday  they  met  together  in 
the  open  air,  and  sang  words  that  they  verily 
believed  had  been  written  in  particular  proph 
ecy  for  themselves  at  this  very  hour. 

"  If  it  had  not  been  the  Lord  that  was  on  our  side." 

The  psalm  rose  from  every  throat  with 
the  swelling  tide  of  joy. 

"If  it  had  not  been  the  Lord  that  was  on  our  side 
when  men  rose  up  against  us." 

Susannah,  advancing,  a  little  belated,  to 
the  rural  preaching  which  was  held  in  a  dip 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  291 

of  the  plain,  heard  the  lusty  chant  of  irre 
pressible  gladness  rising  to  the  blue  heavens, 
and  quickened  her  steps.  In  spite  of  herself 
she  was  carried  into  song  by  the  enthusiasm 
which  seemed  to  dart  like  a  flame  from  the  as 
sembled  multitude  and  enveloped  her. 

"  Blessed  be  the  Lord  who  hath  not  given  us  as  a  prey 
to  their  teeth.  Our  soul  is  escaped  as  a  bird  out  of  the 
snare  of  the  fowler  :  the  snare  is  broken,  and  we  are  es 
caped.  Our  help  is  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  who  made 
heaven  and  earth." 

While  she  was  exalted  by  the  song  she  saw 
the  face  of  her  friend  the  Danite  for  the  first 
time  since  the  night  on  which  they  had  rid 
den  so  far  together.  He  was  standing  now 
upon  the  outskirts  of  the  crowd  as  one  who 
had  newly  come  from  a  solitary  journey. 
When  he  met  Susannah's  eye  his  solitary  look 
passed  into  one  of  lofty  and  intense  comrade 
ship.  He  ran  to  her  and  embraced  her,  and 
emptied  an  inner  pocket  of  a  purse  of  money 
which  he  thrust  eagerly  into  her  possession. 

"  I  have  killed  one  of  them,"  he  said, 
speaking  eagerly,  as  a  child  tells  of  some  ex 
ploit.  "  His  pockets  were  fat  with  money,  and 
it  is  yours." 

"See!"  He  took  the  fragment  of  linen 
upon  which  the  stain  of  Halsey's  blood  had 
turned  dark  with  time,  and  showed  her  a  new 
and  brighter  stain  upon  its  edges. 

All  around  them  were  men  and  women 
who  now,  for  the  first  time  since  the  hour  of 
some  terrible  parting,  spied  kindred  or  com- 


292  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

racles.  By  a  common  impulse  these  moved 
toward  one  another,  and  there  was  an  inter 
lude  in  the  service  for  sobs  of  joy  and  frantic 
embracings,  and  many  men  and  women 
clasped  one  another  who  could  claim  no  kin 
dred,  and  none  forbade,  for  tears  of  mutual 
love  were  in  all  eyes. 

After  that,  in  the  streets  or  in  chance  meet 
ings  in  the  houses,  the  remembrance  of  this 
festival  of  rapturous  comradeship  gave  a  new 
standard  to  the  manners  of  private  life.  The 
Saints  had,  as  it  were,  passed  from  death  unto 
life;  former  things  had  passed  away;  the 
praises  of  God  were  ever  upon  their  lips;  they 
entered  with  joy  into  a  kingdom  of  love  which 
they  doubted  not  God  had  ordained  for  his 
elect;  many  a  command  of  Scripture  became 
illumined  with  a  new  practical  meaning. 
"  Greet  all  the  brethren  with  a  holy  kiss." 
"  Greet  ye  one  another  with  a  kiss  of  charity." 

Susannah  was  not  much  abroad,  but  she 
saw  the  new  customs  inaugurated.  Believ 
ing  that  they  must  be  transient,  knowing,  too, 
that  the  fierce  undercurrent  that  they  ex 
pressed  must  have  outlet,  and  was  not  of  that 
range  of  emotions  which  had  to  do  with  the 
common  relationships  of  life,  she  felt  no  shock 
of  offended  sentiment.  But  in  a  short  space 
of  time,  as  Elvira  grew  better,  Susannah  per 
ceived  that  the  experimental  nature  of  the 
new  life  was  a  dissipation  to  weaker  minds. 
This  grieved  her  because  of  the  sacred  mem 
ory  of  her  husband's  efforts  for  these  people, 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  293 

and  because,  attuned  by  party  spirit,  she  en 
tertained  a  nervous  personal  desire  that  they 
should  acquit  themselves  well.  Just  here  she 
found  occupation;  she  gathered  the  young 
girls  about  her  in  a  temporary  school,  and  set 
herself  to  soothe  and  calm  the  excitement  of 
the  women.  The  work  was  intended  to  last 
but  a  few  weeks,  until  Ephraim's  answer 
came. 

To  the  unspeakable  joy  of  his  followers, 
Joseph  Smith  appeared  suddenly  in  Quincy. 
It  appeared  to  be  true,  as  Darling  said,  that 
the  Missouri  authorities  could  in  fact  find  no 
charge  on  which  to  try  him. 

Smith,  with  his  brother  Hyrum  and  their 
fellows,  had  suffered  severely,  but  later  their 
confinement  had  been  more  easy,  and  the 
news  of  the  triumphant  gathering  of  his  peo 
ple,  together  with  the  excitement  of  the  es 
cape,  had  induced  in  Smith  a  mood  which 
spurned  past  failures  with  a  foot  that  sped 
to  a  new  goal.  The  acclamation,  the  sincere 
and  touching  joy,  with  which  Smith  was  re 
ceived  by  men  and  women  and  children,  were 
enough  to  raise  any  man  in  his  own  esteem, 
and  to  set  free  the  ambition  which  had  been 
perhaps  drooping  in  confinement. 

Smith  had  not  been  in  Quincy  twenty-four 
hours  before  he  mastered  the  situation  there 
in  all  its  details.  He  promptly  sent  out  a  de 
cree  against  the  new  doctrine  of  what  he 
called  "  lax  manners."  He  preached  a  great 
sermon  in  the  open  air  that  night.  "  A  man 


294  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

shall  kiss  his  own  wife  and  daughters  and  no 
other  women,"  said  Smith.  The  elders  who 
had  preached  from  St.  Paul's  texts  on  the  sub 
ject  were  accused  of  error  and  called  upon 
to  recant.  Smith  commanded  that  the  women 
should  work  and  the  children  should  study, 
and  he  publicly  pronounced  Susannah  to  be 
a  fitting  model  for  the  women  and  a  fitting 
teacher  for  the  young.  Susannah  had  not  as 
yet  met  Smith  face  to  face  when  she  found 
herself  made,  as  it  were,  an  object  of  licensed 
admiration. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

IT  was  that  same  evening,  after  Smith's 
commendation  of  Susannah,  that  Darling  de 
cided  to  lay  the  destruction  of  her  letter  be 
fore  the  prophet,  hoping  for  approval. 

Smith  was  looking  over  Darling's  ac 
counts  in  the  tithing  office,  giving  volumi 
nous  and  minute  directions.  The  May  night 
had  closed  in.  The  men  were  in  a  corner  of 
the  large  shed  in  which  the  stores  were  kept, 
a  corner  fenced  off  for  an  office  by  a  low 
wooden  partition.  The  candle  flickered  on 
the  table  between  them. 

The  business  side  of  Smith's  soul  was  up 
permost.  He  had  power  to  keep  in  mind  a 
huge  number  of  details,  and  to  classify  them, 
and  he  estimated  the  relative  importance  of 
the  classes  as  no  other  man  would  have  esti 
mated  it. 

Darling  interrupted  before  Smith's  inter 
est  in  business  began  to  wane.  He  prefaced 
his  communication  concerning  Susannah  by 
speaking  of  the  much  shepherding  needed  by 
the  sheep.  Some,  he  said,  had  done  worse 
than  be  lax  in  manners;  some  had  presumed 
to  have  revelations;  some  had  doubted  the 
faith. 

20  295 


296  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

Here  Darling  paused,  feeling  sure  of  rous 
ing  Smith  to  the  mood  he  desired. 

At  the  mention  of  revelations  Smith's  soul 
took  a  turn,  like  a  ball  on  its  axis;  the  plain 
speech  that  he  had  been  using  about  business 
and  stores  and  accounts  changed  into  phrase 
ology  of  a  Scriptural  cast,  and  the  shrewd 
glance  of  his  blue  eye  into  a  more  distraught 
and  distant  look.  Heretofore,  as  Darling 
well  knew,  heresy  had  been  a  greater  evil  in 
his  eyes  than  any  other;  but  Smith  had  come 
now  out  of  long  months  of  prison;  days  and 
nights  in  which  a  horrible  death  had  faced 
him  closely  had  not  passed  over  this  particu 
lar  soul  of  his  dreams  without  moulding  it. 
It  is  noticed  by  all  his  historians  that  after 
this  period  he  spoke  little  "  by  revelation," 
in  comparison  with  his  former  full  habit  in 
this  respect.  At  Darling's  abrupt  speech  he 
sighed  heavily.  He  looked,  not  at  Darling  as 
before,  but  at  some  vague  object  beyond  him. 

"  There  is  one  lawgiver  who  is  able  to  save 
and  to  destroy,"  he  said  wearily,  and  then, 
gathering  himself  up  with  more  pompous  unc 
tion,  he  asked  of  the  surprised  Darling,  "  Who 
art  thou  that  judgest  another?  " 

Darling  had  grown  fatter  since  he  came 
to  Quincy;  the  lines  of  haggard  care  were  still 
upon  his  face,  but  were  modified  by  dimples 
of  good  cheer.  Much  taken  aback  by  the  un 
expected  rebuff,  he  rubbed  his  head. 

"  But,  Mr.  Smith,  if  they  are  all  going  to 
be  allowed  to  think  what  they  like " 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  297 

The  obvious  difficulty  of  church  govern 
ment  under  these  conditions  confronted  the 
nobler  impulse  of  humility  in  the  visionary's 
mind.  "  When  have  I  said,  Brother  Darling, 
that  they  all  should  think  what  they  like? 
But,  behold,  I  say  unto  thee,  it  is  not  with 
the  Lord  to  save  with  many  or  with  few,  but 
by  whom  he  will  send." 

This  was  a  little  vague  as  to  grammar  and 
as  to  sense,  but  Darling  had  not  the  ability 
to  criticise.  He  only  perceived  that  to  secure 
commendation  he  must  be  tactful  in  the  set 
ting  forth  of  his  act. 

"  It  was  in  the  case  of  Sister  Susannah 
Halsey "  he  began  again  apologetically. 

A  more  eager  look  came  into  Smith's  eyes; 
still  a  third  phase  of  his  character  there  was, 
the  soul  of  his  personal  affections,  and  this 
began  to  merge  now  with  his  religious  self. 
"  Hath  she  prophesied?  Hath  any  revelation 
been  granted  to  her?  " 

If  Darling  had  not  understood  the  pro 
phetical  vein,  he  did  understand  a  certain  vi 
bration  in  this  tone.  "  Ha!  "  thought  he,  "  if 
the  prophet  ain't  a  bit  soft  on  her  himself  I'm 
out."  He  had  lowered  his  eyes,  and  now  he 
said  evasively,  "  It  is  our  sister  Elvira  on 
whom  the  spirit  of  prophecy  has  fallen;  you 
will  have  heard  how  she  gave  praise  concern 
ing  you  before  the  Saints  upon  the  road  and 
was  moved  to  dance  before  the  Lord." 

Smith  saw  through  the  evasion,  but  by 
shrewd  reading  of  the  sanctimonious  face, 


298  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

saw  also  the  inward  suspicion  as  clearly  as  if 
Darling  had  spoken  it.  His  tone  and  manner 
betrayed  him  no  more. 

"  The  head  of  our  sister  Elvira  is  not  al 
ways  set  firmly  on  her  shoulders,"  he  re 
marked,  "  but  I  am  glad  if  the  Lord  has  given 
her  grace." 

"  I've  been  hoping  that  he'd  give  grace  to 
our  sister  Susannah,  for  she's  been  writing  a 
letter  to  say  as  how  she  was  without  faith  and 
wanting  to  leave  us." 

Smith  answered  him  now  only  with  a  cool 
silence  that  puzzled  his  coarser  understanding. 

"  'Twas  in  our  first  days  here,  when  a  good 
many  of  the  women  were  flighty,  and  Elvira 
Halsey,  she  was  ill  enough  to  have  worked 
the  patience  out  of  any  one  as  they  work  the 
milk  out  of  butter,  and  Sister  Susannah  came 
with  a  letter.  She  gave  it  to  me  unsealed." 

"  Was  she  without  wax  to  seal  it?  "  inter 
rupted  Smith  in  a  casual  tone.  Darling  could 
not  know  that  the  thought  of  such  poverty 
wrung  Smith's  heart. 

"  Waal,  I  dunno "  (which  was  a  lie). 
"  Mebbe  she  had  no  wax — I  didn't  think  of 
that,  but  anyhow  she  gave  me  the  letter. 
'Twas  too  late  for  the  mail;  'twas  too  heavy 
for  one  stamp.  An'  I  didn't  like  to  tell  her, 
poor  thing,  that  we'd  mighty  little  to  spend 
on  stamps.  So  after  she'd  gone  I  just  had  a 
look  to  see  who  it  was  to." 

"  The  address  would  be  on  the  outside?  " 
Smith  rose,  hat  in  hand,  as  if  to  depart,  but 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  299 

fixed  his  eyes  on  the  candle  till  Darling  should 
have  done. 

"  The  name  gave  me  very  little  hint  as  to 
whether  the  matter  was  worth  the  two  stamps, 
so  I  just  had  a  glance  inside.  Thought  it 
might  be  but  a  line  asking  money  of  her 
friends,  which,  under  the  sad  circumstances, 
of  course  I  knew  you'd  rather  the  Church 
would  supply." 

This  drew  the  first  spark  of  the  approval 
he  was  expecting.  "  Certainly,  certainly,  the 
widows  and  the  orphans  of  those  who  have 
perished  for  the  truth  must  ever  be  our  most 
tender  care." 

"  Exactly  so,  prophet;  I  knew  that  would 
be  your  opinion;  so  when  I  saw  that  our  sis 
ter  had  felt  drove  to  asking  for  money  from 
some  fellow — I  guess  there  must  have  been 
some  sweethearting  between  him  and  her  be 
fore  she  married  Halsey.  She  said  in  this 
letter  that  she'd  go  to  him  if  he'd  send  her 
cash.  She  said  as  how  she  thought  the  reli 
gion  of  the  Latter-Day  Saints  was  a  lie;  but 
of  course  I  could  see  it  was  not  her  right  judg 
ment,  that  she  was  awful  lonesome." 

"  It  was  taking  a  great  liberty,  Mr.  Dar 
ling."  Smith  tapped  his  stick  upon  the  floor. 
He  was  far  more  angry  than  he  showed,  for 
policy  had  laid  a  soft  hand  of  reminder  on  his 
shoulder.  "  Our  sister,  Mrs.  Halsey,  is  not — " 
he  coughed  slightly,  and  sought  by  prophet 
ical  phrases  to  explain  that  Susannah  was  not 
upon  the  level  of  Darling  and  his  kind — "  is 


3oo  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

not,  as  it  would  be  said  in  the  Scriptures, 
among  those  who  deck  themselves  with  crisp 
ing  pins  or  are  busybodies,  but  she  is  as  that 
lady  to  whom  John  wrote  (and  the  letter  is 
preserved  unto  the  edification  of  the  Church 
unto  this  day);  for  it  was  revealed  unto  me 
in  the  beginning  that  she  was  the  elect  sister, 
and  to  sit  as  one  who  judges — as  one  who 
judges  Israel."  He  was  just  going  to  add  in 
the  flow  of  his  phrases  "  upon  twelve  thrones," 
but  the  words  died  because  even  he  perceived 
the  lack  of  sense. 

Darling  grew  testy.  "  Waal,  I  dunno,  but 
it  seems  to  me  that  if  she'd  gone  off  by  now 
to  be  Mrs.  Ephraim  Croom  somewheres  in 
the  East  there  wouldn't  be  much  more  elect 
sister  about  her." 

"  The  gentleman  whose  name  you  have 
just  been  mentioning,  Mr.  Darling,  is  the 
lady's  uncle.  I  was  reared  alongside  them, 
and  I  know."  He  knew  that  he  fibbed  be 
tween  uncle  and  cousin,  but  the  slip  was  so 
slight  and  the  end  so  worthy — to  silence  Dar 
ling. 

1  'Twas  no  uncle  that  she  wrote  that  'ere 
letter  to,"  said  Darling  hotly.  He  stuck  out 
his  legs  and  leant  back  in  his  chair,  the  pic 
ture  of  offence. 

"  You  are  mistaken  concerning  the  mean 
ing  of  the  letter,  Brother  Darling,  and  it  ap 
pears  to  me  that  in  casting  your  eyes  upon  it 
you  have  gone  beyond  what  is  written  con 
cerning  the  duty  of  an  elder;  but  as  to  your 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  301 

duty  in  destroying  it — considering  that  our 
sister  asked  for  money,  which  it  is  our  duty 
and  privilege  to  supply —  But  I  promised 
Emmar  to  be  back  soon.  I  will  consult  the 
Lord,  Brother  Darling,  and  have  a  word  with 
you  in  the  morning." 

Smith  tramped  with  dignity  over  the  long 
wooden  floor  of  the  darkened  shed  and  let 
himself  out  with  decisive  clatter  of  the  latch. 

To  his  right  lay  the  wooden  town  with 
twinkling  lights,  to  his  left  the  black  prairie, 
and  above  the  crystal  vast  of  a  moonless  night, 
so  clear  that  the  upward  glance  almost  saw 
the  perspective  between  nearer  and  farther 
stars  innumerable. 

This  man  was  at  all  times  possessed  with 
the  sense  of  otherness,  sense  of  a  presence 
around  and  above.  He  was  no  sooner  beneath 
the  stars  than  he  hung  his  head  as  if  some 
one  saw  him.  With  shame  and  pain  written 
in  the  attitude  of  his  hulking  figure,  he 
skulked  out  into  the  black  fields. 

Later  that  night,  a  lad,  not  of  the  Mor 
mon  brotherhood,  making  his  way  home  in 
the  dark  to  the  town  of  Quincy,  a  little  afraid 
of  the  dark,  as  lads  are  apt  to  be,  was  terrified 
by  hearing  a  voice  in  the  darkness,  by  dimly 
descrying  a  man's  figure  prostrate  upon  the 
ground.  The  lad  shrank  back  to  a  recess  of 
the  snake  fence.  There,  trembling,  he  lis 
tened. 

The  voice  in  the  hoarse  whisper  of  in 
tensity  repeated,  "  Give  me — this  woman — 


302  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

give — give."  The  breathing,  like  command 
rather  than  prayer,  set  the  words  grating  on 
the  air  again  and  again.  "  This  woman — this 
woman — give!  give!  give!  " 

The  cause  of  the  lad's  terror  was  a  strange 
conviction  that  the  writhing  creature  on  the 
earth  was  certainly  conversing  with  something 
not  of  earth,  whether  God,  or  angel,  or  devil 
he  did  not  ask.  He  was  encompassed  by  the 
dreadful  belief  that  the  other  saw  and  heard 
what  he  could  not. 

The  prostrate  man  clenched  his  fists  and 
struck  the  black  ground  on  which  he  lay. 
There  was  an  intense  silence,  and  then  again 
the  grating  breath  of  a  hoarse  throat  that  lay 
among  the  grass  blades  babbled  forth  a  multi 
tude  of  confessions  and  fiercely-worded  sup 
plications  which  the  little  lad  could  neither 
understand  nor  remember. 

There  was  a  sudden  change  of  attitude  and 
voice.  The  lad  saw  that  the  man  on  the  grass 
sat  up,  and  as  if  he  had  received  an  answer, 
spoke  in  reply,  not  now  in  wailing  supplica 
tion,  but  in  quick  whispered  argument.  The 
lad  cowered  with  a  fresh  thrill  of  ghostly  ter 
ror  which  burned  the  mad  words  into  his 
memory. 

"  The  loss  would  be  to  thee  of  the  fairest 
of.  thine  handmaids,  and  to  her  of  her  own 
soul,  and  to  me — "  but  here  the  words  of 
irritable  contention  failed  in  deep  choking 
sobs.  Then,  to  the  lad's  perfect  dismay,  the 
black  figure  bounded  to  its  feet  and  the  arms 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 


303 


were  flung  about  in  the  darkness  as  if  wrest 
ling  with  an  unseen  enemy.  Now,  being  des 
perate,  the  lad  darted  forth  from  his  nook; 
passing  in  tip-toe  rush  at  the  back  of  this 
struggling  figure,  he  sped  home  in  his  gust 
of  fear,  and,  with  the  fantastic  secrecy  of 
youth,  did  not  tell  what  he  had  heard  and 
seen  till  years  had  come  and  gone. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
• 

THE  May  morning  was  wreathing  itself 
with  opening  flowers  to  meet  the  first  hour 
of  sunlight  when  Susannah  was  startled  by 
hearing  that  the  prophet  inquired  for  her. 
There  was  in  the  house  where  she  lived  an 
empty  chamber,  unfurnished  because  of  pov 
erty;  it  was  in  this  that  the  prophet,  who  de 
manded  a  private  audience,  awaited  her. 

So  vexed  was  she  at  the  public  advertise 
ment  which  he  had  made  of  her,  that  she  for 
got  the  bereavement  she  had  suffered  since 
she  last  saw  him;  but  when  she  looked  up  she 
saw  that  Smith's  face  wore  signs  of  emotion 
that  he  was  not  trying  to  conceal. 

At  first  he  made  an  attempt  at  some  unc 
tuous  form  of  address,  an  effort  at  formality, 
a  mechanical  tribute  to  habit.  Failing  to 
finish  his  phrase,  he  stood  before  her,  not  as 
the  lauded  leader,  not  as  the  interesting  mar 
tyr,  but  claiming  recognition  merely  as  a  man, 
a  large,  coarse  man  feeling  his  own  coarse 
ness  in  her  presence,  a  sinful  man  feeling  his 
own  sinfulness,  but  at  the  same  time  a  man 
with  a  warm  heart,  which  was  now  so  beat 
ing  with  emotions  of  shame  and  pity  and  glad 
recognition  that  at  first  he  could  not  speak, 
304 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  305 

could  not  raise  his  eyes  to  hers  until  the 
warmth  of  his  feeling  rid  him  of  self-conscious 
ness. 

Susannah  had  not  expected  to  awake  this 
emotion.  She  desired  nothing  less  than  con 
dolence;  and  yet  she  was  touched  by  seeing 
his  huge  strength  broken  down  for  the  mo 
ment  by  her  appearing.  When  he  spoke  his 
voice  was  hoarse. 

"  I — I  told  him — it  was  my  earnest  com 
mand  to  him  not  to  go  where  there  was 
danger." 

Halsey's  name  was  not  spoken,  but  all 
through  that  interview  Smith  appeared  to  be 
haunted  by  his  presence.  "  He  was  the  best 
man  amongst  us,"  he  said. 

"  My  husband  is  gone."  Susannah  hoped 
by  the  reticence  of  her  tone  to  ward  off  fur 
ther  excess  of  sympathy.  "  I  am  no  longer 
bound  to  your  Church,  Mr.  Smith.  I  should 
not  be  honest  if  I  did  not  tell  you  that  I  hold 
myself  free." 

He  faced  her  frankly,  but  with  a  glance  of 
searching  pain.  "  It  must  seem  a  rather  poor 
trade  I've  chosen  if  there  ain't  no  truth  in  it." 

"  But  I  did  not  accuse  you  of  not  believing 
it,  Mr.  Smith." 

"  Do  you  think  I  do?  " 

She  remembered  the  day  that  he  had  first 
shown  her  his  peep-stone  with  simple,  child 
like  importance.  How  young  they  had  both 
been!  The  sunshine  on  the  hill,  the  voice  of 
the  golden  woodpecker,  the  scent  of  the  fallen 


306  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

beech  leaves,  came  back  to  her.  A  decade  of 
terrible  years  had  passed  over  them  both,  and 
he  stood  seeking  her  faith  just  as  simply. 

"  I  have  tried  very  hard  to  understand 
you,  Mr.  Smith,  but  I  do  not.  I  think  you 
must  believe  most  of  what  you  claim  for  your 
self,  if  not  all.  If  you  had  made  your  story 
up  for  the  love  of  power  you  wouldn't  always 
be  wanting  the  people  to  get  a  better  educa 
tion;  you  would,  as  they  say  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  priests,  want  to  keep  the  people  ig 
norant." 

"  Go  on,"  he  said.  She  found  that  he  was 
looking  at  her  with  intense  sadness,  but  there 
was  not  a  shadow  of  evasion  in  the  eager  look 
that  met  her  steadily. 

She  went  on,  looking  gravely  into  his 
face.  "  I  do  not  believe  that  your  story  was 
false,  Mr.  Smith,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  you 
must  suspect  now  that  your  visions  and  the 
gold  plates  were  hallucination,  not  reality." 
She  paused,  eager  question  in  tone  and  look, 
but  the  question  was  of  the  head,  not  of  the 
heart. 

He  knew  that;  he  knew  that  it  did  not 
matter  greatly  to  this  thoughtful  and  beauti 
ful  woman  whether  he  had  sunk  to  the  deep 
est  degradation  or  not.  Suddenly  he  an 
swered  her,  but  not  as  one  who  stood  at  her 
judgment  bar. 

"  Where  is  your  heart?  Didn't  you 
see  how  that  man  Angel — angel  of  purity  if 
ever  one  walked  in  human  form — kissed  every 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  307 

day  the  ground  you  walked  upon?  And  you 
did  not  love  him.  The  child — you  thought 
you  cared  for  the  child:  I  tell  you  if  I  had  had 
a  child  like  that,  with  eyes  like  the  stars  and 
a  little  mind  so  untainted,  I  had  laid  myself 
down  on  his  grave  and  died  there.  There's 
Emmar  and  me,  we'd  be  in  more  trouble  if 
you  lost  one  of  your  pretty  fingers  than  you 
would  have  been  in  if  they  had  taken  and 
killed  us  over  there  in  Missouri."  He  added, 
"  If  you  were  another  woman,  and  had  not 
the  power  to  do  more  than  just  have  a  little 
shallow  caring  for  one  and  another,  where 
would  be  your  sin?  " 

Something  that  she  had  dimly  suspected 
of  herself  flashed  into  apparent  truth.  Ephra- 
im,  too,  had  perhaps  intended  to  tell  her  this 
when  he  had  said  that  love,  not  knowledge, 
was  needed.  She  had  not  loved  Halsey  and 
his  child  as  she  might  have  loved. 

Susannah  had  always  recognised  a  certain 
bigness  in  Smith's  character  because  of  the 
power  he  had  of  giving  himself  to  man, 
woman,  and  child;  now  she  felt  her  own  infe 
riority.  Was  she  to  stand  babbling  to  him 
about  hallucinations  and  gold  plates?  The 
man  in  him  had  flashed  out  at  her,  and  be 
cause  she  was  not  without  the  heart  whose 
whereabouts  he  had  demanded,  the  flash 
awakened  an  answering  fire.  Her  cheeks 
flushed,  not  with  self-consciousness,  but  with 
the  slow  gathering  of  heart-stricken  tears. 

"  And  you,"  she  said  slowly,  "  you  have 


308  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

poured  out  blood  and  soul  for  us  all  freely, 
but  why? "  The  imperious  need  of  truth 
awoke  again.  "  Why  have  you  let  yourself 
be  beaten  and  shot  at  and  imprisoned  and  hor 
ribly  threatened,  to  lead  us  all  to  this  new 
Zion,  wherever  it  may  be?  "  She  repeated  the 
question.  "  If  it  was  ambition,  why  did  you 
hold  to  it  when  there  did  not  seem  to  be  the 
slightest  chance  that  your  sect  could  survive, 
or  that  you  would  escape  death?  " 

She  was  asking  with  more  heart  in  her 
tone  now  that  she  had  been  made  to  realise 
what  she  had  of  respect  and  friendship  for 
this  man. 

"  I  hain't  got  the  courage  most  people 
think  I  have,"  he  replied  sadly;  "  I  am  scared 
enough;  I  am  scared  sometimes  of  the  very 
water  I  go  into  to, baptize  in,  let  alone  men 
that  want  to  murder  me;  but  I  am  more 
afraid  to  go  against  my  revelations,  for  I  know 
if  I  went  against  them  there  would  be  nothing 
for  me  but  the  pit  and  eternal  fire.  I  don't 
say  that  it  would  be  the  same  for  any  of  you. 
I  used  to  preach  that  it  would,  but  in  prison, 
when  I  thought  of  my  folks  standing  up  to 
be  killed,  I  thought  perhaps  I  had  gone  be 
yond  what  was  told  me  in  preaching  that 
way;  but  as  for  me,  I've  seen  and  I've  heard." 

He  did  not  turn  or  take  restless  steps  upon 
the  floor.  It  would  have  been  a  relief  to  her 
if  he  had  moved;  but  he  remained  just  where 
he  first  stood,  strong  enough  to  have  this  col 
loquy  over  without  restlessness. 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  309 

"  I  am  no  saint,"  he  said,  "  as  you  know 
very  well,  and  there's  a  lot  of  things  I've  done, 
thinking  that  my  revelations  told  me,  which 
I  don't  know  whether  they  told  me  or  not, 
for  in  prison  I  saw  that  the  things  were  bad 
things,  like  that  mess  of  the  bank,  and  run 
ning  away  as  I  did.  I  guess  I  could  not  have 
been  living  right,  and  the  devil  gulled  me. 
But  that  hain't  got  nothing  to  do  with  the 
times  I  know  that  the  Lord  spoke.  You  don't 
believe  it  was  the  Lord  at  all.  Well,  then, 
who  was  it?  For  it's  the  same  as  has  told 
me  not  to  do  the  lots  of  wicked  things  I  might 
have  done  and  didn't.  As  to  them  plates,  I 
told  you  before  I  didn't  have  them  as  much 
in  my  hands  as  I  said  I  did.  I  got  wrong  a 
bit  there  too,  maybe,  but  it  isn't  easy  to  keep 
quite  straight  between  the  thing  you  see  and 
the  words  you  say  it  in,  when  you  are  trying 
to  talk  to  people  about  what  they  don't  un 
derstand.  It  isn't  easy  to  do  just  only  what 
is  perfectly  right  about  anything  at  any  time, 
at  least,  if  it  is  to  you,  it  isn't  to  me;  but  I 
often  thought  I  was  born  worse  than  most 
people." 

"  The  men  who  were  your  witnesses  as  to 
the  reality  of  the  plates  are  apostate,"  she 
said  gently. 

"  They  are  apostate,"  he  said  gloomily, 
"  and  why?  Because  I  would  not  let  them 
live  upon  the  Lord's  tithes  without  labouring 
as  we  all  laboured." 

He  spoke  again  after  a  moment.     "  The 


3io  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

Gentiles  have  spread  abroad  a  story  about  one 
Solomon  Spalding,  who  they  say  wrote  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  which  Rigdon  stole,  but 
you  know — you  who  have  been  with  us  from 
the  beginning — that  neither  I  nor  your  hus 
band  nor  any  one  of  us  saw  Rigdon  until  we 
came  to  Kirtland,  and  if  his  word  is  to  be  be 
lieved  he  never  saw  this  Spalding  or  his 
book." 

She  made  an  impatient  movement  of  her 
head.  "  I  know,"  she  said,  "  that  there  is  no 
truth  in  that  story."  She  moved  a  little  away 
from  him;  she  was  becoming  oppressed  by  his 
still  earnestness. 

"  Isn't  it  any  proof  to  you  that  I  hadn't 
the  wits  nor  the  education  to  make  the 
book?  "  His  words  were  wistful. 

She  sat  down  on  the  sill  of  the  open  win 
dow,  the  only  seat  in  the  room,  and  looked 
out  on  the  moist  earth. 

"  I  guess  you  want  to  get  rid  of  me,"  he 
s#id,  "  but  I  can't  go  till  I  know  how  it  is  with 
you,  for  I've  been  wrestling  in  prayer  this 
night  concerning  you."  Then  after -a  minute 
he  said,  "  Our  brother  gave  you  the  money 
that  he  found  on  the  person  of  your  husband's 
murderer?  " 

"  I  paid  it  into  the  treasury." 

"  But  if  you  don't  believe,  maybe  you  are 
thinking  of  going  east?  " 

"  Do  you  think  I  could  use  the  price  of 
my  husband's  blood  for  that?  It  is  not  for  me 
to  know  whether  the  avengers  of  blood  are 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  311 

right  or  wrong  in  a  land  where  there  is  no 
law,  but  the  money  belonged  to  your  Church." 

He  looked  at  her  as  one  who  has  made  a 
study  of  a  certain  class  of  objects  looks  at  a 
fine  specimen,  as  a  jeweller  looks  at  a  gem  of 
the  first  water.  This  man,  with  the  genius 
for  priesthood,  was  a  connoisseur  in  souls. 
"  Emmar  wouldn't  have  thought  it  no  harm 
to  keep  the  money  the  Danites  gave  her,"  and 
he  added  more  reflectively,  "  nor  would  I." 
There  was  admiration  in  his  tones. 

He  came  a  step  nearer  now.  "  If  you 
went  east  who  have  you  to  go  to?  Your 
uncle,  he's  dead." 

Susannah  started.    "  How  do  you  know?  " 

His  manner  was  pitying.  "  I  saw  it  last 
night  in  the  way  I  see  things,  in  my  visions, 
but  Emmar  she  heard  from  some  of  the  Saints 
that  came  from  Palmyra  that  your  uncle  was 
sick  unto  death,  and  last  night  the  Lord  told 
me  he  was  dead." 

She  rose  up  suddenly.  She  had  known  too 
many  instances  of  this  man's  curious  knowl 
edge  of  distant  events  to  think  of  doubting. 
Her  first  thought  was  that  if  Ephraim  was  in 
this  trouble  she  must  go  to  him  at  once. 

'  Your  aunt  will  be  awful  jealous  of  your 
cousin  now  she's  only  got  him." 

Then  under  Smith's  pitying  glance  Susan 
nah  shrank  from  the  first  impulse  to  go.  She 
felt  that  there  was  something  within  her  that 
merited  his  pity.  She  could  not  rush  to 
Ephraim  without  invitation,  because  it  wras 

21 


312  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

not  for  his  sake  but  for  her  own  she  wanted 
to  go.  She  believed  that  Smith  knew  it.  She 
felt  thankful,  as  he  had  dared  to  accuse  her 
of  not  loving  her  husband,  that  he  had  the 
kindness  not  to  accuse  her  of  this.  A  certain 
awe  of  Smith  came  over  her;  he  could  be  vio 
lent  with  those  who  were  violent,  coarse  and 
jocular  with  his  public  who  could  be  worked 
upon  thus,  but  to  her  he  spoke  delicately,  and 
he  had  shown  her  at  times  before  this  that  he 
knew  her  better  than  she  knew  herself. 

"  Sister  Susannah,"  said  Smith  humbly, 
"  it's  my  fault  that  you've  become  the  brainy 
woman  that  you  are,  for  I  encouraged  you  at 
book  learning  (knowing  as  how  when  you 
found  your  heart  'twould  shine  with  the  more 
lustre),  but  if  you  were  to  go  and  live  along 
side  of  a  man  as  is  a  bookworm  you'd  lose 
your  chance  of  this  life  (let  alone  your  soul's 
salvation  by  the  apostasy  which  you  think 
lightly  of  now).  Anyhow  I'd  wait  if  I  was 
you  till  his  mother  asks  you,  for  she'd  be  in 
an  awful  taking  if  you  and  he  were  talk,  talk, 
talking  of  what  she  didn't  understand.  And 
he  is  her  only  son,  and  she  is  a  widow." 

With  this  last  phrase,  which  had  a  good 
and  Scriptural  sound,  Smith  had  done. 

Susannah  gave  him  her  hand  in  farewell, 
and  listened  gently  while  again  he  told  her, 
as  on  the  night  of  his  flight  from  Kirtland, 
that  his  friendship  and  the  friendship  of  his 
Church  were  always  at  her  service. 

The  prophet  walked  down  the  street.     A 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  313 

crowd  of  the  Saints  and  a  group  of  elders  were 
waiting  for  him  with  impatience.  Darling 
eyed  his  coming  with  looks  gloomy  and  fur 
tive,  but  the  prophet  was  no  longer,  as  on  the 
previous  night,  wrathful  and  pompous.  He 
spoke  aside  to  Darling. 

"  I  thought  it  right  to  tell  our  sister  Su 
sannah  Halsey  that  her  Gentile  home  had  suf 
fered  bereavement.  The  uncle  who  has  been 
as  a  father  unto  her  is  dead.  I  have  been 
greatly  exercised  in  grief  for  her,"  continued 
Smith,  briefly  and  truly;  and  then  he  added, 
also  with  truth,  but  with  subtle  suggestion, 
"  I  cannot  think  that  further  dealing  with  that 
household  could  be  of  advantage  to  her,  but 
having  laid  the  matter  before  the  Lord,  I  was 
made  aware  that  we  must  seek  the  good  of 
all  our -sisters  not  with  regard  to  outward  ap 
pearance  or  inclination  of  the  eyes;  therefore, 
Brother  Darling,  let  your  motive  be  lowly, 
not  having  respect  unto  persons,"  and  he 
added  with  the  simplicity  of  a  child,  "  as 
mine  is." 

Susannah  was  left  with  the  bad  picture  in 
her  mind  which  Smith  had  sketched  there. 
She  saw  herself  cold  to  her  husband,  lacking 
in  passionate  motherliness  to  his  child,  eager 
for  the  society  of  another  man  not  out  of  love 
but  intellectual  vanity,  and  cavilling  also  at 
all  religion  because  faith  had  no  good  soil  to 
rest  in.  She  sat  long  on  the  window-sill  of 
the  empty  room,  looking  at  an  uncultivated 
patch  of  ground  that  even  in  May  had  no 


314  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

beauty  save  for  here  and  there  the  stirring  of 
a  weed  in  the  damp  scented  earth.  She  was 
stunned  to  see  her  life  limned  in  such  lines, 
and  the  truth  in  the  drawing  made  it  at  first 
seem  wholly  true. 

But  Fate  had  another  messenger  that 
morning  more  potent  than  the  prophet.  A 
girl  came  by  on  the  road,  stopped,  looked  at 
her  window,  and  by  some  impulse  such  as 
moved  the  buds  and  birds,  tripped  nearer  in 
the  sunshine  and  offered  a  flower.  It  was  a 
sprig  of  quince  blossom,  and  the  girl  stood 
laughing  on  the  threshold  of  life  just  as  Su 
sannah  had  stood  when  Ephraim  first  showed 
her  the  flower  of  the  quince.  The  false  lines 
in  the  picture  drawn  by  Smith  faded  at  the 
touch  of  the  pink  winged  flowers.  Her  heart 
sprang  into  the  truth. 

The  girl  looked  up  to  see  the  face  of  the 
schoolmistress  flushed  and  shining  with  sud 
den  tears. 

"  My  dear,"  said  Susannah  gently,  "  when 
I  was  your  age  flowers  were  given  to  me,  but 
I  did  not  love  them  half  enough." 

The  maiden  tripped  away,  resolving  at 
heart  to  heed  the  admonition,  although  she 
understood  it  very  vaguely. 

Susannah  knelt  down  upon  the  floor  be 
hind  the  sill,  pressing  both  hands  upon  her 
breast  lest  she  should  cry  aloud. 

"  No!  No!  No!  "  she  whispered,  "  I  loved 
Ephraim,  and  it  was  because  I  left  him  that 
my  heart  closed  up — because  in  insufferable 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 


pride  and  impatience  I  left  him.  Oh,  my  love, 
now  I  know  that  you  loved  me  too."  She 
rocked  herself  in  a  passionate  desire  for  Ephra- 
im's  presence.  The  scene  in  the  cold  autumn 
wood  at  Fayette  came  back  to  her  eyes  and 
ears.  She  felt  the  very  touch  of  his  hand  when 
he  went.  "  Fool!  fool!"  she  said,  "  foolish 
and  wicked.  If  I  had  not  been  proud,  if  I 
had  not  thought  myself  better  than  you  and 
yours,  I  should  have  understood."  For  some 
unexplained  reason  her  mind  reverted  now  to 
Halsey  and  the  child,  and  she  wept  for  them 
as  she  had  never  wept  before. 

After  these  tears  she  stood  up  and 
stretched  out  her  arms  as  if  embracing  a  new 
life.  Alas!  around  her  were  only  the  ugly 
walls  of  the  poor  unfurnished  room.  Susan 
nah,  rousing  herself  from  the  warm  scenes  of 
quickened  memory,  felt  the  contrast. 

The  hope  of  Ephraim's  reply  to  her  letter 
came  to  her  smiling  each  morning,  and,  as  the 
days  passed,  retired  from  her  heart  with  a 
sigh  each  night. 

When  six  weeks  had  gone  and  no  reply 
came  Susannah  wrote  again.  This  time  she 
addressed  the  letter  to  the  care  of  Mr.  Horace 
Bushnell  in  Hartford,  thinking  that  perhaps 
by  some  extraordinary  chance  Ephraim's 
whereabouts  might  not  be  known  in  Man 
chester.  This  letter  was,  unlike  all  those  that 
had  preceded  it,  more  brief,  more  reserved, 
and  more  gentle.  It  expressed  interest  only 
in  his  affairs,  telling  little  of  her  own  except 


316  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

the  fact  that  she  desired  to  return.  Autumn 
came,  and  Susannah's  faith  in  man  was  tested 
to  the  utmost  by  the  dreariness  of  daily  dis 
appointment. 

If  Ephraim  were  dead  surely  his  mother  or 
his  friend  would  return  her  letters.  If  Ephra 
im  were  not  dead  what  could  be  the  explana 
tion  of  this  silence?  Many  vicissitudes  of  life 
occurred  to  her  as  possibly  producing  a 
change  in  him,  and  Only  one  explanation  of 
his  silence  was  possible — that  he  was  changed. 
That  was  a  terrible  belief  to  face.  Her  faith 
took  the  bit  in  its  teeth  and  refused  to  be 
guided  by  intelligence.  The  whole  strength 
of  her  volition  abetted  the  revolt  of  faith. 
Anything,  everything,  might  be  true  rather 
than  that  the  essentials  of  character  which 
went  to  make  up  Ephraim's  personality  should 
be  blurred  or  decomposed. 

Susannah  wrote  again  to  Ephraim,  to  his 
mother,  and  to  Mr.  Bushnell — three  separate 
letters.  She  worked  with  the  more  zeal  at 
her  self-appointed  task.  So  cheerful  and  en 
ergetic  was  she  that  she  appeared  to  her  pupils 
and  acquaintance  as  a  radiant  being,  and  re 
ceived  the  most  genuine  honour  and  affection 
from  the  Mormon  settlement  in  Quincy. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

WITH  the  jubilant  Saints  at  Quincy  the 
prophet  could  not  remain  long.  He  jour 
neyed  up  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi.  Here 
and  there  communities  of  his  people  welcomed 
him  with  touching  joy;  their  numbers  and 
their  faithfulness  must  have  raised  his  heart. 
He  came  at  last  to  a  poor,  sickly  locality, 
around  which  the  great  river  took  a  majestic 
sweep,  and  here  the  prophet  saw  what  no  one 
else  had  seen — a  site  of  great  beauty  and  ad 
vantage.  The  inhabitants  were  dying  of  ma 
larial  fever.  Smith  bought  their  lands  at  a 
low  price  and  drained  them.  Thus  arose  the 
beautiful  city  of  Nauvoo. 

In  the  Illinois  State  Legislature  two  par 
ties  were  nearly  equal  in  strength,  and  both 
coveted  the  Mormon  vote.  When  Smith  ap 
plied  for  the  city  charter,  for  charters  also 
for  a  university  and  a  force  of  militia  to  be 
called  "  The  Nauvoo  Legion,"  they  were 
granted,  and  worded  to  his  will. 

White  limestone,  found  in  great  abun 
dance  near  the  surface  of  the  earth,  served  as 
material  for  the  public  buildings  and  the  bet 
ter  houses.  Wooden  houses,  and  even  log 
huts,  were  washed  with  white  lime.  On  three 

317 


3i8  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

sides  of  the  town  the  air  of  the  beautiful  river 
blew  fresh  and  cool  from  its  rippling  tide;  the 
surrounding  land  was  fertile.  Fortune  cer 
tainly  smiled  upon  the  sect  that  had  borne 
itself  so  sturdily  under  persecution.  The 
prophet's  laws  had  much  to  do  with  the  pros 
perity;  neither  strong  drink  nor  tobacco  were 
admitted  within  the  city  limit;  cleanliness  and 
thrift  were  enforced. 

The  Saints  in  settlement  in  the  town  of 
Quincy  and  other  places  remained  while  they 
could  obtain  lucrative  employment  and  thus 
transmit  the  larger  tithes  for  the  building  up 
of  their  future  home;  but  from  the  poorer  set 
tlements  artisans  and  farmers  flocked  to 
Nauvoo.  Thither  also  the  missionaries  scat 
tered  in  the  eastern  States,  in  England,  and 
in  further  Europe  sent  the  bands  of  converts 
who  had  been  kept  waiting  till  a  city  of  refuge 
was  founded.  It  was  not  long,  not  many 
months,  before  fifteen  thousand  people  were 
hurrying  up  and  down  the  broad  streets  of 
the  new  city. 

During  the  rise  of  Nauvoo,  Emma  Smith 
was  living  at  Quincy  in  a  small  house  with  her 
three  children.  She  was  Susannah's  best 
neighbour.  The  prophet's  enormous  activity 
was  fully  occupied  with  the  new  city  and  the 
care  of  the  scattered  Church,  so  that  he  could 
not  visit  his  wife  often.  Each  time  he  came 
he  sent  for  Susannah  to  listen  with  Emma  to 
the  triumphant  accounts  that  he  gave  of  his 
present  successes.  He  was  all  aglow  with  the 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  319 

resurrection  of  his  Church,  tender  towards  its 
renewed  enthusiasm  for  himself,  compassion 
ate  more  than  ever  for  the  pains  it  had  en 
dured,  fixed  in  purpose  to  establish  his  suf 
fering  and  loyal  people  in  such  a  manner  as 
might  reward  them  for  all  that  they  had  un 
dergone.  His  spirit  of  revenge  against  the 
Gentiles,  and  especially  against  the  perverts 
from  his  own  sect  who  had  sought  to  trample 
it  down,  was  also  increased;  the  prayers  of  the 
Hebrew  Psalmist  against  the  enemies  of  Is 
rael  were  constantly  upon  his  lips.  More  than 
once  when  at  Quincy  he  preached  to  the  little 
flock  there  with  great  effect  from  the  bless 
ings  and  cursings  conditionally  delivered  to 
Israel  in  the  Book  of  Deuteronomy,  arguing 
that  evils  of  a  very  material  kind  were  to  be 
fall  apostates,  and  blessings  of  a  like  kind  were 
to  be  given  to  the  faithful  in  the  new  city. 

"  It  is  not  true,"  Susannah  said  to  him 
defiantly.  "  There  is  no  righteousness  in  de 
siring  the  downfall  of  your  enemies,  and  earth 
ly  wealth  can  never  have  any  fixed  connection 
with  spiritual  blessing." 

"  Do  I  understand  you,  my  sister,  to  say 
that  the  prophet  Moses  did  not  teach  a  true 
religion?  "  As  he  spoke  he  laid  his  hand  upon 
a  huge  copy  of  the  Bible,  bound  in  velvet  and 
gold,  which  lay  as  the  only  ornament  upon 
Emma's  centre  table. 

In  these  days  Susannah  began  to  have 
some  fear  of  the  word  "  apostate."  Contrary 
to  the  freedom  which  had  existed  in  the  Kirt- 


320  THE    MORION    PROPHET. 

land  community,  the  present  Church,  with  its 
dogmas  cast  into  iron  moulds  from  the  fur 
nace  of  persecution,  had  begun  to  authorise 
a  sentiment  against  perverts  which  differed 
not  only  in  degree,  but  in  kind,  from  the  pure 
ly  spiritual  anathemas  which  had  formerly 
fallen  upon  them.  Personally  she  had  no  fear. 
The  prophet  knew  of  her  unbelief,  and  his 
conduct  was  increasingly  kind  and  deferen 
tial,  but  for  others  she  disliked  exceedingly 
the  new  symptoms  of  tyranny.  Yet  it  was  but 
natural,  she  admitted;  men  who  had  offered 
their  own  lives  in  sacrifice  for  a  creed  were 
likely  to  think  it  of  more  worth  to  the  soul 
of  another  than  his  liberty.  The  sin,  she 
thought,  lay  chiefly  with  the  persecutors. 

Sometimes  during  these  visits  Smith  came 
and  sat  beside  her  in  her  own  small  room  and 
talked  to  her  about  his  plans,  about  new  reve 
lations  which  had  come  to  him,  about  the  fu 
ture  of  the  Church,  just  as  if  he  were  trying 
to  persuade. himself  that  she  at  last  believed 
in  the  solemn  importance  of  these  things.  He 
said  to  her  that  her  judgment  would  always 
weigh  greatly  with  him,  that  he  was  reserving 
a  portion  for  her  in  the  new  city  such  as  would 
have  belonged  to  her  husband  and  child  if 
they  had  lived.  He  spoke  of  his  pleasure  in 
seeing  the  companionship  between  herself  and 
Emma.  He  spoke  also  of  Emma's  worthi 
ness,  and  of  her  devotion  to  himself. 

His  words  about  Emma  were  kind,  but  it 
was  not  thus  that  he  had  spoken  of  her  in 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  321 

the  first  years.  Susannah  perceived  a  change 
analogous  to  that  which  she  could  not  deny 
had  taken  place  in  Emma  herself.  In  the  be 
ginning  Emma  had  been  slim,  with  a  spiritual 
look  in  her  eyes,  giving  herself  to  absorbed 
pondering  over  all  Smith's  words  and  ways. 
Now  she  was  stout,  and  was  given  much  to 
the  practical  care  of  her  children,  and,  de 
voted  as  she  was  to  her  husband,  she  assumed 
often  a  tone  of  remonstrance,  setting  aside 
many  of  Smith's  vagaries  as  unworthy  of  at 
tention.  She  thought  to  please  him  and  his 
Church  by  dressing  well  and  appearing  to  be 
a  person  of  some  figure  and  consequence,  but 
in  private  she  grumbled  at  his  personal  ex 
travagance.  At  both  these  changes  Susan 
nah  smiled,  but  to  her  heart,  ever  weighing 
the  chances  in  favour  of  Ephraim's  constancy, 
they  seemed  an  ill  omen.  It  was  because  she 
was  absorbed  in  the  personal  application  of 
all  things  to  her  own  secret  case  that  she  paid 
less  attention  to  the  prophet's  remarks. 

Once,  passing  through  the  street,  when 
she  saw  him  standing  with  Darling  at  the 
door  of  the  tithing  office,  through  which  the 
mail  for  the  Mormon  settlement  still  went  and 
came,  she  observed  the  two  men  were  notic 
ing  and  speaking  of  her;  she  received  a  dis 
agreeable  impression  from  their  manner. 

She  supposed  that  she  had  found  a  com 
plete  explanation  of  this  sinister  parley  when, 
the  next  time  Smith  came,  he  brought  with 
him  an  elderly  and  foolish  man,  a  new  con- 


322  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

vert  who  had  brought  great  wealth  to  the  new 
city,  whom  he  proposed  as  a  suitor  for  El 
vira's  hand.  Susannah  was  very  angry. 

Elvira  had  continued  for  many  months  in 
the  lassitude  that  malarial  fever  leaves  behind 
it.  Susannah  had  need  to  support  her,  as  well 
as  herself,  by  the  small  fees  which  her  day- 
scholars  could  afford.  She  had  had  the  satis 
faction  of  seeing  Elvira  restored  in  a  great 
degree  to  health,  but  so  capricious  and  fan 
tastic  were  the  bright  little  lady's  words  and 
actions  that  it  was  impossible  to  say  whether 
or  not  she  had  slipped  across  the  wavering  line 
that  separates  the  sane  from  the  insane. 

Susannah  stood  now  in  her  small  sitting- 
room  fiercely  facing  Smith  and  his  new  satel 
lite.  She  still  adhered  to  the  plain  Quaker- 
like  garb  that  her  husband  had  liked,  and  the 
muslin  kerchief  crossed  upon  her  breast  was 
a  quaint  pearl-like  frame  to  the  beauty  of  fea 
ture  which  had  slowly  but  surely,  in  spite  of 
adverse  circumstance,  come  to  its  prime. 
Smith's  stalwart  figure  and  the  decrepit  form 
of  his  friend  were  both  clad  in  sleek  broad 
cloth.  They  wore  the  high  white  collar  and 
stock  of  the  period.  In  Smith's  light  hair 
there  was  not  a  gray  thread,  nor  were  there 
many  wrinkles  in  his  smooth  forceful  face. 
The  old  man  was  gray  and  wrinkled;  he 
cringed  and  leered  as  Susannah  rated  them 
for  the  proposition  they  had  made. 

But  the  answer  to  this  proposition  did  not 
lie  in  her  hands;  before  she  could  compel 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  323 

Smith  to  withdraw  it,  or  know  if  his  mind  was 
tending  towards  that  obedience,  Elvira,  curi 
ous  to  see  the  strangers,  entered. 

Elvira  raised  a  coquettish  finger  and  told 
Smith  that  he  was  a  very  naughty  man.  This 
was  a  new  freak  in  her  conduct  toward  the 
prophet.  Light  and  frivolous  as  she  had  be 
come,  the  title  of  prophetess,  coveted  among 
Mormon  women,  had  been  conferred  upon 
her  because  some  strange  power  of  divina 
tion  governed  her  freaks. 

"  A  very  naughty  man."  With  her  deli 
cate  prettiness,  decked  in  what  gewgaws  she 
could  afford,  Elvira  stood  shaking  her  fore 
finger.  "  You  don't  know  why?  Oh,  fie! 
you  know  very  well,  naughty,  naughty  crea 
ture." 

Smith  had  the  air  of  some  unwieldy  ani 
mal  trying  to  adapt  itself  to  the  unexpected 
gambols  of  a  light  one.  The  first  supposition 
was  that  Elvira  had  in  some  way  learnt  the 
object  of  his  mission,  so  he  began  to  declare 
it  with  a  reproachful  look  at  Susannah.  "  Our 
sister  Halsey,"  he  said,  "  does  not  wish  you  to 
wear  jewels  and  beautiful  clothes,  and  yet  it 
is  said  in  the  Scripture  that  the  clothing  of 
ladies  should  be  even  of  wrought  gold." 

"  Naughty  creature,"  she  cried,  "  don't 
quote  the  Scriptures  to  me.  I  am  not  the 
lady  you  are  thinking  about.  I  am  not  the 
lady  that  you  come  here  to  see." 

So  intent  they  all  were  upon  her  and  her 
affairs  that  this  statement  was  somewhat  puz- 


324  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

zling.  The  only  sign  that  Smith  gave  that  he 
gathered  any  sense  out  of  the  vivacious  non 
sense  she  was  pleased  to  talk  was  that  he  pre 
cipitated  his  explanation. 

The  brother  by  his  side  was  very  rich;  it 
had  been  foretold  him  in  a  vision  of  the  night 
that  when  he  had  professed  the  Mormon  faith 
a  pretty  wife  would  be  his  reward.  Smith  had 
had  it  borne  in  upon  his  mind  that  Elvira  was 
the  lady  designed  by  the  vision.  "  For,"  said 
he  unctuously,  "  the  Holy  Scripture  saith  that 
the  solitary  shall  be  set  in  families." 

Elvira  laughed.  "  How  very  amusing," 
she  cried.  "  And  into  what  family  shall  our 
sister  Susannah  be  set?  " 

Smith  frowned.  "  Our  sister  Susannah," 
he  said,  "  is  not  solitary,  but  is  surrounded  by 
her  spiritual  children,  to  whom  she  imparts 
her  own  learning  and  goodness,  to  the  great 
benefit  of  the  Church ;  and  I  cannot  but  think, 
Sister  Elvira  " — the  severity  in  his  voice  was 
growing — "  that  you  are  a  great  care  to  her, 
for  she  toils  hard  to  give  you  even  such  poor 
raiment  as  you  are  now  wearing,  not  wish 
ing  to  accept  of  the  bounty  of  the  Church, 
while  she  would  be  an  example  of  industry  to 
others." 

The  hard  truth  of  this  statement,  com 
bined  with  the  commanding  voice  and  man 
ner  he  now  assumed,  controlled  Elvira.  She 
stood  for  some  minutes  meekly  contemplat 
ing  her  senile  and  smirking  suitor.  Susannah 
protested  and  warned  her,  but  in  caprice,  as 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  325 

sudden  as  it  was  unexpected,  Elvira  decided 
to  comply  with  the  prophet's  request  without 
further  persuasion  or  command. 

When  left  alone  with  Susannah  she  only 
shrugged  her  shoulders  arrd  said,  "  I  saw  that 
I  should  lose  my  soul  if  I  didn't;  the  prophet 
was  so  determined.  Why  should  we  bicker 
and  consider,  and  why  should  I  fly  round  and 
round,  like  a  bird  round  the  green  eyes  of  a 
cat,  or  try  to  escape  half  a  dozen  times  like  a 
mouse  when  it  is  once  caught,  when  I  know 
from  the  beginning  that  Joe  Smith  will  curse 
me  if  I  don't  do  his  will?  " 

"  You  are  quite  mistaken.  He  was  not 
determined;  he  told  me  that  he  only  wished 
to  lay  the  matter  before  you  and  let  you  de 
cide  for  yourself." 

Elvira  let  her  white  eyelids  droop  until 
but  a  narrow  slit  of  the  dark  eye  was  visible. 
"La!  child,"  she  said. 

"  And  you  cannot  seriously  think  that 
Smith's  curse,  even  if  he  were  barbarous 
enough  to  denounce  you,  could  make  the 
slightest  difference  to  your  soul's  salvation. 
You  often  talk  that  way,  but  you  cannot  seri 
ously  think  it,  Elvira." 

But  here  Susannah  struck  against  a  vein 
of  darkness  in  her  companion's  mind  which 
it  seemed  to  her  had  lain  there  like  a  black 
incomprehensible  streak  since  the  awful  day 
of  anguish  and  massacre  at  Haun's  Mill. 

"  Don't  speak  of  it,"  cried  Elvira  with  a 
shudder.  "  Don't  you  know  that  Joe  Smith 


326  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

is  our  prophet,  and  that  he  holds  the  keys  of 
life  and  death?  Didn't  Angel  Halsey  die  to 
teach  us  that?  Weren't  we  baptized  into  it 
by  being  dipped  in  blood?  " 

She  sat  shuddering  in  the  dusk  and  repeat 
ing  at  intervals  "  dipped  in  blood,"  "  dipped  in 
blood." 

Whether  Elvira  was  mad  or  not,  Susan 
nah  had  no  power  to  stop  this  nefarious  mar 
riage.  The  prophet  had  departed  hastily  out 
of  reach  of  her  indignant  appeals,  and  there 
was  no  one  whose  interference  she  could  seek. 
In  vain  she  besought  Elvira,  using  both  argu 
ment  and  passionate  entreaty.  With  precipi 
tate  waywardness  the  strange  girl  was  mar 
ried  by  Elder  Darling  in  the  shed  of  the  tith 
ing  house. 

No  letter  came  from  Ephraim  Croom  or 
from  his  friends. 

After  Elvira's  departure  Susannah  began 
to  save  out  of  her  little  income,  trying  to  put 
by  enough  dollars  not  only  for  the  eastern 
journey,  but  to  give  her  respectable  support 
afterwards  until  she  could  obtain  employment. 
She  had  little  heart  for  the  object  of  her  sav 
ing;  she  might,  she  knew,  be  going  to  igno 
miny  and  starvation,  for  with  the  stigma  of 
Mormonism  upon  her,  she  felt  that  it  was  un 
likely  that  she  would  be  received  with  credit 
in  any  town  where  she  was  friendless  and  un 
known. 

•  Although  the  community  prospered  great 
ly,  Smith  did  not  again  interfere  to  increase 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  327 

Susannah's  school  fees.  Emma  began  to  talk 
largely  of  the  splendour  of  Nauvoo,  reading 
from  her  husband's  letters  of  the  Nauvoo 
House,  a  huge  hotel,  which  was  being  rapidly 
and  grandly  built  for  the  perpetual  occupation 
of  himself  and  family  and  the  entertainment 
of  all  such  as  the  Church  of  the  Saints  should 
delight  to  honour. 

Susannah  found  it  hard  to  understand 
why  Emma  was  not  taken  to  Nauvoo  even 
before  the  great  house  was  built  for  her  re 
ception.  It  was  indeed  commonly  reported 
among  the  Gentiles  at  this  time  that  the 
prophet  had  secretly  espoused  other  wives; 
but  a  malignant  report  of  this  nature,  together 
with  accusations  of  drunkenness  and  rank  dis 
honesty,  had  persistently  followed  the  sect 
from  its  beginning,  and,  as  far  as  Susannah 
knew,  were  now,  as  before,  totally  untrue. 
This  special  report,  however,  reached  Emma 
in  an  hour  of  depression,  and  she  came  to  Su 
sannah  for  sympathy,  shaken  with  grief  and 
indignation. 

"  What  does  it  mean  that  they  always  say 
that  of  him  when  the  one  thing  that  he's  done 
has  been  to  excommunicate  any  of  the  breth 
ren  that  taught  any  such  thing?  And  there's 
just  been  an  awful  row  on  in  the  Council  of 
Nauvoo  against  Sydney  Rigdon  and  some 
pamphlet  he's  written  on  a  doctrine  he  calls 
*  Spiritual  Wives,'  and  Joseph  has  risen  up 
and  cast  him  out,  even  though  he  was  his  best 
friend." 

22 


328  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

The  reason  of  the  calumny  seemed  to  Su 
sannah  clear  enough;  it  was  a  natural  one  for 
low-minded  politicians  who  hated  Smith  to 
formulate,  and  the  religious  world  outside 
thought  they  were  doing  God  service  by  be 
lieving  any  ill  of  a  blasphemer;  but  this  charge 
was  an  old  one,  and  she  probed  further  to-day 
for  the  real  cause  of  Emma's  excitement.  She 
was  first  given  a  letter  in  which  Smith  told 
of  Rigdon's  excommunication. 

"  Rigdon's  doctrine,"  wrote  Smith,  "  is  a 
vile  one  because  it  is  held  by  the  whole  sect 
of  Perfectionists  which  are  now  scattered 
through,  the  Churches  of  the  eastern  States, 
and  is  a  proof  that  the  glory  of  the  Lord  is 
departed  from  them,  for  they  say  that  a  man 
may  be  married  to  one  wife  in  an  earthly  man 
ner,  and  she  who  is  to  be  his  in  a  spiritual  and 
eternal  manner  may  be  another  woman,  and 
this  is  vile;  therefore  I've  cast  out  Sydney 
Rigdon  and  called  him  apostate.  But  it  seems 
to  me  in  this  matter  and  in  the  perpetual  slan 
der  of  the  Gentiles  it  may  be  that  it  is  being 
shown  to  us,  even  as  things  were  shown  by 
outward  signs  at  times  to  the  ancient  proph 
ets,  that  there  is  somewhat  concerning  the 
existing  form  of  marriage  that  it  would  be 
well  to  reconsider,  for  I  perceive  that  the  more 
my  revelations  cause  a  difference  to  be  set 
between  our  people  and  the  Gentiles,  the  more 
shall  we  be  bound  closely  together,  which 
unity  is  undoubtedly  of  the  Lord." 

Susannah    always    found    it    difficult    to 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  329 

gather  much  inf9rmation  from  the  prophet's 
vague  and  incoherent  style.  "  Has  he  ever 
written  anything  else  about  this  affair  of  Rig- 
don's?  "  she  asked. 

Then  it  transpired  that  another  letter  had 
that  day  arrived,  giving  another  and  more 
graphic  account  of  Rigdon's  rebellion  and 
overthrow,  after  which  Joseph  inconsistently 
wrote: 

"  Yet  with  regard  to  the  matter  of  his 
heresy  it  remains  undoubtedly  true  for  men 
who  are  called  to  some  great  ana  special  work 
one  woman  may  be  needed  as  a  bride  upon 
earth  and  another  woman  may  be  called  as 
a  spiritual  bride "  (this  word  "  bride  "  was 
crossed  out,  though  left  legible  enough,  and 
"  guide  "  written  above  it)  "  to  lead  him  into 
higher  and  heavenly  places  prepared  of  the 
Lord  for  this  purpose." 

After  perusing  this  passage  carefully,  and 
with  inward  laughter  at  its  inconsistency,  she 
gave  the  letter  back,  endeavouring  to  render 
some  help. 

"  Have  you  not  observed  that  your  hus 
band's  mind  is  very  peculiar?  When  any  idea 
is  forcibly  suggested  to  him,  all  his  thoughts 
seem  to  eddy  round  it  until  he  thinks  that  the 
whole  world  is  to  be  revolutionised  by  it,  and 
then  when  diverted  to  something  else  he  for 
gets  all  about  it  like  a  child,  and  never  thinks 
of  it  again  perhaps  for  years." 

Emma,  unable  to  comprehend  the  analy 
sis,  drew  back  offended. 


330  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

"  Joseph  has  a  great  deal  finer  mind  than 
any  person  I  know/'  The  last  words  were 
levelled  with  a  nettled  glance  at  Susannah. 

On  Emma's  behalf  Susannah  confidently 
hoped  that  the  prophet  would  forget  this  the 
ory,  as  he  had  apparently  forgotten  the  many 
theories  which  had  ere  now  proposed  them 
selves  to  his  excitable  brain,  and  which  he 
had  found  unworkable.  His  practical  shrewd 
ness  acted  as  a  critic  on  his  visionary  notions 
— never  in  thought,  for  he  did  not  seem  able 
to  exercise  the  two  phases  of  his  mind  at  once, 
but  always  in  practice — and  Susannah  could 
not  conceive  that  a  new  order  of  marriage 
would  appear  feasible,  even  though  it  would 
certainly  raise  a  new  barrier  around  the  fold, 
and  in  consequence  draw  its  votaries  closer 
together. 

Soon  after  this  Emma  was  greatly  com 
forted  by  a  summons  to  Nauvoo.  She  could 
now  enter  in  triumph  upon  the  more  glorious 
stage  of  her  chequered  career. 

For  a  few  days  Susannah  worked  on  still 
with  a  sense  of  mission  towards  her  pupils, 
but  of  necessity  also,  for  her  work  meant  daily 
bread.  It  produced  little  more  than  that. 

But  at  Nauvoo  new  schools  in  emulation 
of  the  State  schools  of  other  towns  had  been 
set  up,  and  now  a  teacher  with  certificates  of 
the  latest  style  of  education  arrived  in  the 
Mormon  settlement  at  Quincy,  commissioned 
by  the  prophet  to  gather  all  the  Mormon 
youth  there  into  a  new  school  under  the  di- 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  331 

rection  of  the  Church.  Susannah's  mission 
and  her  means  of  livelihood  were  alike  gone. 

The  change  was  made.  It  was  not  until 
Susannah  had  passed  the  first  desolate  day  of 
her  dethronement  that  Darling  came  to  her, 
sent  with  profuse  apologies  from  the  prophet 
and  the  explanation  that  the  chief  motive  of 
the  change  had  been  to  relieve  her  from  labour 
now  that  the  Church  was  in  a  position  to  offer 
her  adequate  support.  The  message  was  ac 
companied  by  many  compliments  upon  her 
work  and  her  fidelity,  and  a  document  official 
ly  signed,  in  which  it  was  set  forth  that  the 
part  and  lot  which  would  have  pertained  to 
Halsey  in  the  Holy  City  was  considered  as 
hers;  rooms  and  entertainment  at  the  Nauvoo 
House  were  offered.  It  was  handsomely 
done.  Smith  in  his  poverty  had  been  no  nig 
gard,  and  of  his  wealth  he  was  lavish.  The 
documents  explained  what  rooms,  size  and 
position  given,  should  be  hers,  what  furniture 
at  her  disposal,  what  ailment,  what  allowance 
from  the  Treasury  for  clothing  and  charity. 
The  scale  was  magnificent.  Darling  was  also 
commissioned  to  offer  her  a  ticket  on  one  of 
the  river  boats  to  Nauvoo,  and  his  own  escort. 
He  urged  her  instant  acceptance.  Darling 
had  been  promoted  from  his  post  at  Quincy 
to  that  of  postmaster  at  Nauvoo,  and  he  could 
not  delay  his  journey. 

Susannah  sat  long  into  the  night  and 
counted  her  little  hoard,  and  figured  to  her 
self  what  the  long  eastward  journey,  then  a 


332  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

matter  of  great  expense,  would  cost.  Since 
Elvira  left  her  she  had  with  all  her  efforts  saved 
hardly  fifty  dollars.  No  course  lay  open  to 
her  but  to  go  first  to  Nauvoo,  and  there  com 
pound  with  Smith  for  a  sum  of  money  to  be 
given  in  return  for  the  relinquishment  of  all 
further  claim  upon  the  Church. 


BOOK    III. 


CHAPTER  I. 

IN  a  suite  in  the  pretentious  Nauvoo 
House  Susannah  found  herself  established. 

She  stood  at  her  windows  and  looked  east 
and  west  upon  the  fair  white  city,  and  more 
immediately  upon  the  broad  public  square  in 
which  well-dressed  people  and  handsome 
equipages  were  constantly  seen.  In  this 
square  a  man  called  Bennet  drilled  the  Nau 
voo  Legion  in  the  cool  of  the  evenings.  This 
man  had  served  in  the  regular  army  and  had 
a  native  genius  for  soldiery.  Smith,  alive  al 
ways  to  the  educational  importance  of  shows, 
now  provided  money  lavishly  for  uniforms, 
horses,  and  accoutrements,  and  the  Nauvoo 
Legion  formed  a  much  grander  spectacle  than 
any  body  of  State  militia. 

Twice  a  day  under  Susannah's  windows 
Smith's  carriage  drew  up,  a  pair  of  fine  gray 
horses  carrying  the  prophet  to  and  fro  upon 
the  affairs  of  Church  and  State.  When  he 
took  Emma  with  him  Susannah  observed  that 
she  was  always  richly  attired,  and  the  other 

333 


334  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

members  of  the  Mormon  hierarchy  resident  in 
Nauvoo,  "  bishops,"  "  elders,"  "  apostles," 
"  prophets,"  passed  constantly  in  and  out  of 
the  house,  positively  shining  in  broadcloth 
and  silken  hats,  their  wives  and  daughters  also 
in  brilliant  array. 

Externally  the  success  appeared  to  be 
complete,  and  beyond  even  the  visionary's 
most  glorious  dreams.  In  the  whole  of  the 
city  no  one  was  poor,  no  one  ignorant  of  such 
knowledge  as  school-books  could  afford,  no 
one  drunken.  Every  one  was  uplifted  and 
animated  beyond  their  ordinary  capacity  for 
effort  and  enjoyment  by  this  material  fulfil 
ment  of  prophecy  and  the  more  glorious  fu 
ture  hope  which  it  involved.  Susannah  was 
not  well  rested  after  her  journey  when  Emma 
descended  upon  her  with  lavish  gifts  of  silks 
and  fine  feathers.  Emma,  grown  patronising 
with  prosperity,  always  plain  and  maternal, 
displayed  her  gifts  and  argued  for  their  ac 
ceptance  with  broad  satisfaction. 

"  Joseph  says  now  that  the  Lord  has  given 
us  freedom  as  touching  wealth  and  plenty,  it 
looks  real  mean,  when  your  husband  gave  all 
he  had  to  the  Church  in  her  tribulation,  for 
you  to  be  wearing  plain  clothes  when  you're 
riding  out  with  us.  What  will  the  folks  say? 
Joseph  says  it  looks  to  him  as  if  you  were 
real  offended  at  being  left  so  long  up  to 
Quincy  when  he  was  only  waiting  to  get  your 
rooms  finished." 

Carried  away,  as  was  only  natural,  by  her 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  335 

husband's  doctrine  that  the  era  of  indulgence 
was  ordained  and  not  to  be  rejected,  there  was 
temporary  deterioration  in  the  fibre  of  Em 
ma's  character. 

Susannah  would  gladly  have  walked  out 
and  seen  the  beauty  of  the  city  and  its  sur 
roundings  alone,  but  she  did  not  think  it  kind 
or  polite  to  resist  the  good-natured  impor 
tunity  of  her  friends.  She  was  invited  to 
drive  with  Smith  to  a  grand  review  of  the 
Nauvoo  Legion  which  was  to  take  place  out 
side  the  town;  then,  finding  that  Emma  and 
the  children  were  to  occupy  another  carriage, 
she  made  objection.  It  ended  in  Susannah 
being  driven  alone  in  a  very  fine  carriage. 
Smith,  resplendent  in  uniform  and  seated 
upon  a  very  fine  charger,  rode  in  his  capacity 
of  Commander-in-Chief.  Several  other  men 
whom  she  had  known  first  in  homespun,  and 
latterly  in  cloth,  were  also  riding  in  bedizened 
uniforms.  The  scene  was  very  perplexing  to 
Susannah.  Elvira,  with  great  display  of  dress 
and  equipage,  was  not  far  from  her,  and 
waved  her  hand  with  patronising  encourage 
ment.  The  coach  in  which  were  Emma  and 
her  children  presented  also  a  very  smart  ap 
pearance.  All  the  town  drove  to  the  scene 
of  the  review  in  what  splendour  they  could 
afford. 

Susannah  was  greatly  occupied  in  looking 
from  face  to  face,  striving  to  recognise  some 
of  her  husband's  friends  of  earlier  days.  She 
fully  expected  to  see  Smith  or  some  of  his 


336  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

friends  fall  from  their  saddles,  as  they  could 
be  little  accustomed  to  manoeuvring  such 
light-footed  steeds,  but  she  was  forced  to 
admit  that  Smith  rode  well  and  his  offi 
cers  kept  their  seats.  She  had  so  much  to 
observe,  so  much  to  think  about,  she  hard 
ly  noticed  that  Smith  rode  constantly  by 
her  carriage,  pointing  out  the  beauties  of  the 
road. 

When  they  stopped  at  the  place  of  parade, 
many  of  the  gentlemen  in  uniform  approached 
her,  and  as  this  was  her  first  appearance  in 
public,  Smith  performed  the  introductions. 
Among  them  was  the  Rev.  General  John 
Bennet,  a  man  who  had  "  knave  "  written  on 
his  countenance,  but  who  appeared  to  have 
duped  Smith,  for,  as  Lieutenant-General  of 
the  forces,  he  was  actually  in  command.  Her 
old  friend  the  Danite  also  came,  older  than 
when  she  had  seen  him  last  by  the  hardships 
of  an  arduous  missionary  journey.  He  passed 
now  by  the  name  of  "  Apostle  Heber."  Su 
sannah  was  so  glad  to  be  able  to  inquire  con 
cerning  his  welfare,  so  curious  to  speak  with 
him  again  and  judge  of  his  development,  that 
her  manner  gained  the  appearance  of  anima 
tion. 

After  some  time  Susannah  perceived  that 
she  was,  as  it  were,  holding  court.  In  their 
carriages  the  other  women  sat  comparatively 
neglected.  It  was  in  vain  that  she  tried  to 
put  a  quick  end  to  this  curious  and  undesir 
able  state  of  things.  Smith  continued  to  bring 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  337 

to  her  side  all  those  whom  he  delighted  to 
honour.  , 

And  this  was  only  one  of  several  fetes 
which  took  place  in  rapid  succession,  to  all 
of  which  Susannah  was  by  some  persuasion 
taken.  At  each  she  found  herself  an  object 
of  public  attention.  She  was  told  that  this 
occurred  because  she  was  a  stranger,  or  out 
of  respect  to  her  husband's  memory,  and  she 
placed  more  trust  at  first  in  these  statements 
than  a  less  modest  or  more  worldly-wise 
woman  would  have  done. 

Soon  her  credulity  ceased.  She  despised 
her  own  beauty  because  it  was  made  a  gaz 
ing  stock.  An  article  in  the  Nauvoo  news 
paper,  officially  inspired,  spoke  of  her  as  a 
"  Venus  in  appearance  and  an  angel  at  heart." 
She  was  elsewhere  publicly  mentioned  as  the 
"  Venus  of  Nauvoo." 

It  was  indeed  a  strange  experience,  a 
strange  time  and  place  for  the  social  debut 
of  this  beautiful  woman.  Smith  had  calcu 
lated  well  when  in  her  youth  he  had  told  her 
that  her  beauty  would  not  diminish  but  in 
crease  until  her  prime  was  past,  but  she  very 
modestly  inferred  that  she  might  have  passed, 
as  heretofore,  without  much  notice,  if  an  agi 
tation  concerning  her  had  not  urged  to  ad 
miration  a  band  of  men  who  were  fast  grow 
ing  luxurious  and  pleasure-loving,  and  she 
knew  that  Smith  was  the  author  of  that  agi 
tation. 

It  appeared  to  Susannah  more  dignified  to 


338  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

ignore  than  to  upbraid.  She  secretly  laughed, 
she  secretly  cried  with  vexation,  but  she  de 
sired  to  leave  the  place  without  betraying  her 
recognition  of  the  homage  offered. 

She  sought  to  discuss  her  plan  for  depart 
ure  with  Emma,  but  Emma's  manner  had 
changed  to  her.  It  was  not  jealousy  so  much 
as  constraint  that  she  showed,  as  if  secretly 
persuaded  into  unusual  reticence.  Susannah 
then  asked  Smith  for  such  a  sum  of  money 
as  he  should  consider  to  be  a  right  acknowl 
edgment  of  the  property  Halsey  had  given  to 
the  Church.  At  this  Smith  looked  greatly 
aggrieved,  and  withdrew  muttering  that  he 
would  consider  her  request. 

The  only  sign  of  this  consideration  which 
she  immediately  received  was  a  gift  of  showily- 
bound  books,  and  a  rich  shawl  which  he  had 
fetched  from  New  York. 

Susannah's  career  as  the  queen  of  Nauvoo 
society  came  to  a  swift  end,  for  she  deter 
minedly  retired  into  seclusion.  This  was  not 
because  the  men  who  paid  court  to  her  were 
all  ignoble.  Among  the  officers  of  the  Church 
or  of  the  Legion  there  were  not  few  who  were 
wholesome  and  friendly  companions,  or  who, 
like  her  early  Danite  friend,  the  Apostle 
Heber,  had  frank  modest  eyes,  incapable  of 
any  enthusiasms  that  were  not  religious.  But 
in  her  long  companionship  with  Angel  Hal 
sey  Susannah  had  had  her  soul  deep  dyed  in  a 
delicate  hue  of  Quaker  sentiment.  She  could 
lnot  admit  for  a  moment  that  conscious  dis- 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  339 

play  of  personal  charm  was  consonant  with 
dignity. 

She  again  sought  friendly  intercourse  with 
Emma. 

"  There  ain't  no  use  in  opposing  the 
Lord,"  said  Emma  excitedly.  "  If  the  Lord, 
as  Joseph  says,  has  given  you  beauty  and 
wants  to  set  you  to  be  a  star,  or  a  Venus,  or 
whatever  he  calls  it,  in  Nauvoo,  I  don't  see 
that  there's  any  good  your  talking  of  going 
away.  I  guess  the  Lord'll  have  his  own 
way." 

Susannah  remembered  how  before  her 
marriage  the  bigness  of  the  authority  quoted 
had  confused  her  as  to  the  truth  of  the  mes 
sage.  "Ah!  Emma,  Emma,"  she  cried,  tak 
ing  the  fat,  comfortable  hand  in  her  own,  "  if 
in  the  first  days  I  had  offered  a  little  more 
humility,  a  little  more  love,  to  those  to  whom 
I  owed  duty,  I  should  never  have  believed 
what  you  told  me  about  the  '  Lord's  way,' 
but  I  have  learned  by  hard  experience,  and  I 
do  not  believe  you  now,  Emma."  She  spoke 
the  name  in  quicker  tone,  as  if  recalling  her 
companion  to  common  sense.  "  Emma,"  she 
repeated  the  name  with  all  the  tenderness  she 
could  muster,  "  don't  you  know  that  it  is  bet 
ter  for  me  to  go  away — better  for  you,  better 
for  us  all?  " 

But  Emma  was  obstinately  evasive.  She 
seemed  almost  like  one  possessed  by  a  hard 
ened  spirit,  not  her  own.  On  the  after 
noon  of  that  same  day  she  bustled  cheerfully 


340  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

into  Susannah's  room  asking  the  loan  of 
what  money  she  had  to  meet  a  temporary 
call. 

Susannah  never  had  the  slightest  reason  to 
suspect  Emma's  good  faith  and  good  nature. 
She  gave  her  money  without  a  thought. 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE  parlour  which  Joseph  Smith  had  pro 
vided  for  Susannah  was  large  and  high.  On 
its  Brussels  carpet  immense  vases  of  flowers 
and  peacock's  feathers  sprawled;  stiff  and 
gaudy  furniture  was  ranged  round  the  paint 
ed  walls;  stiff  window  curtains  fell  from  stiff 
borders  of  tasteless  upholstery.  Susannah, 
long  ignorant  of  anything  but  deal  and  rag 
carpets,  knew  hardly  more  than  Smith  how  to 
criticise,  and  her  taste  was  only  above  his  in 
the  fact  that  she  did  not  admire. 

Smith  came  to  reason  with  the  rebellious 
woman. 

Susannah  no  sooner  saw  him  than  she 
knew  that  he  had  come  braced  to  try  the  con 
clusion  with  her.  He  sat  himself  before  her 
in  silence.  His  waistcoat  was  white,  his  neck 
cloth  white,  his  collar  starched  and  high;  his 
thick  light  hair  was  carefully  oiled  accord 
ing  to  the  fashion  of  the  day,  and  brushed  with 
curling  locks  upon  the  sides  of  the  brow.  At 
this  critical  hour  Susannah  observed  him 
more  narrowly  than  ever  before.  His  smooth- 
shaven  face,  in  spite  of  all  his  prosperity,  was 
not  so  stout  now  as  she  had  seen  it  in  more 
troublous  years;  the  accentuated  arch  of  the 

341 


342  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

eyebrows  was  more  distinct,  the  beak  line  of 
the  nose  cut  more  finely.  She  noted  certain 
lines  of  thickness  about  the  nape  of  the  neck 
and  the  jaw  which  in  former  years  had  always 
spoken  to  her  of  the  self-indulgence  of  which 
she  now  accused  him;  yet  she  could  not  see 
that  they  were  more  accentuated.  She  had 
been  schooling  her  heart  to  remember  that 
Smith  had  been  her  husband's  friend;  Angel 
Halsey  had  loved  him,  had  daily  prayed  for 
his  faults  and  failings,  and  thanked  God  for 
his  every  virtue  and  success.  Through  the 
medium  of  these  memories  now  Susannah 
looked  upon  him  with  the  clearness  of  insight 
which  the  more  divine  attitude  of  mind  will 
always  give,  the  insight  which  penetrates 
through  the  evil  and  is  focussed  only  on  the 
good. 

The  prophet's  breath  came  quickly,  mak 
ing  his  words  a  little  thick.  "  Emmar  tells  me 
that  you  have  some  thoughts  of  wanting  to 
leave  us." 

"  You  know  that  very  well,  for  I  have  told 
you  so  myself.  I  want  you  to  give  me  money 
for  my  journey.  If  I  can  I  will  repay  it,  as  you 
well  know;  if  not,  I  will  take  it  instead  of  all 
this  finery  you  offer." 

He  had  folded  a  newspaper  in  his  hand, 
and  now  he  unfolded  it.  She  was  surprised  to 
see  that  his  hands  trembled  slightly  as  he  did 
so,  for  she  had  seen  him  act  in  many  a  tragic 
scene  with  iron  nerve. 

"  'Tain't  often  that  the  Gentile  newspapers 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  343 

have  a  word  of  justice  to  say  about  us,"  he 
observed.  "  This  is  a  number  of  the  St.  Louis 
Atlas.  It  seems  there's  one  man  on  it  can 
speak  the  truth."  He  gave  forth  the  name  of 
the  newspaper  as  if  expecting  her  to  be  duly 
impressed  by  its  importance,  and  she  looked 
at  the  outspread  sheet  amazed. 

He  went  on,  "  There's  an  article  here  en 
titled,  '  The  City  of  Nauvoo.  The  Holy  City. 
The  City  of  Joseph.'  I'd  like  to  read  it  to 
you  if  you  don't  object,  Sister  Halsey." 

The  pronunciation  of  the  last  title  seemed 
to  inflate  him;  his  hands  ceased  to  tremble. 
A  flicker  of  amusement  lighted  the  gravity 
of  Susannah's  mind. 

Joseph  read,  "  *  The  city  is  laid  out  in 
streets  of  convenient  width,  along  which  are 
built  good  houses,  and  around  every  good- 
sized  house  are  grounds  and  gardens.  It  is 
incorporated  by  charter,  and  contains  the 
best  institutions  of  the  latest  civilisation.'  ' 
He  gave  this  the  emphasis  of  pause.  "  Is  that 
true,  Sister  Halsey,  or  is  it  not?  " 

She  smiled  as  upon  a  child.  "  Yes,  Mr. 
Smith,  it  is  true." 

'  Most  conspicuous  among  the  buildings 
of  the  Holy  City  is  the  temple  built  of  white 
stone  upon  the  hill-top.  It  is  intended  as  a 
shrine  in  the  western  wilderness  whereat  all 
nations  of  the  earth  may  worship,  for  on 
March  i,  1841,  the  prophet  gave  it  as  an  ordi 
nance  that  people  of  all  sects  and  religions 
should  live  and  worship  in  the  City  if  they 
23 


344  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

would,  and  that  any  person  guilty  of  ridicul 
ing  or  otherwise  deprecating  another  in  con 
sequence  of  his  religion  should  he  impris 
oned.'  Is  that  true?  "  Smith  inquired  again. 
His  questions  came  in  the  tone  of  a  pompous 
refrain. 

"  Except  in  the  case  of  those  who  have 
joined  you  and  gone  back  from  your  doc 
trine,"  she  said,  but  not  thinking  of  herself. 

He  read  on:  "  '  Here,  as  elsewhere,  Mr. 
Smith  has  attended  first  to  the  education  of 
his  people.  The  president  of  the  Nauvoo  Uni 
versity  is  Professor  James  Kelly,  a  graduate 
of  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  and  a  ripe  scholar; 
the  professor  of  English  literature  is  Professor 
Orson  Pratte,  a  man  of  pure  mind  and  high 
order  of  ability,  who  without  early  advantages 
has  had  to  educate  himself  amid  great  diffi 
culties  and  has  achieved  learning.  The  pro 
fessor  of  languages  is  Professor  Orson  Spen 
cer,  graduate  of  Union  College,  New  York, 
and  of  the  Baptist  theological  seminary  of  that 
city.  No  expense  has  been  spared  upon 
school  buildings  for  the  youth  of  both  sexes, 
and  the  curriculum  is  good.'  Is  that  true?  " 

"  Yes,"  she  replied. 

He  read  on:  "'The  population  is  made 
up  chiefly  from  the  labouring  classes  of  the 
United  States  and  the  manufacturing  districts 
of  England.  They  have  been  grossly  misun 
derstood  and  shamefully  libelled.  They  are 
at  least  quite  as  honest  as  the  rest  of  us,  in 
this  part  of  the  world  or  any  other.  Ardent 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  345 

spirits  as  a  drink  are  not  in  use  among  them; 
tobacco  is  a  weed  which  they  almost  universal 
ly  despise.  There  is  not  an  oath  to  be  heard 
in  the  city;  everywhere  the  people  are  cheer 
ful  and  polite;  there  is  not  a  lounger  in  the 
streets.  Industry  is  insisted  upon,  and  with 
the  hum  of  industry  the  voice  of  innocent 
merriment  is  everywhere  heard.  Now,  as  to 
their  morality,  if  you  should  throw  cold  water 
upon  melted  iron,  the  scene  would  be  terrific 
because  the  contrast  would  be  so  great;  so  it 
is  with  the  Saints;  if  a  small  portion  of  wicked 
ness  happens  among  them,  the  contrast  be 
tween  the  spirit  of  holiness  and  the  spirit  of 
darkness  is  so  great  that  it  makes  a  great  up- 
stir  and  excitement.  In  other  communities 
the  same  amount  of  crime  would  hardly  be 
noticed.'  '  Again  he  asked,  "  Sister  Halsey, 
does  this  evidence  of  an  impartial  witness  co 
incide  with  your  observation?  " 

"  Of  the  people  it  is  undoubtedly  true," 
she  said.  There  was  a  reservation  in  her  mind 
concerning  certain  leaders  in  the  Church,  but 
she  did  not  make  it  in  words. 

He  read  on:  "  '  With  a  shrewd  head  like 
that  of  the  prophet  to  direct,  with  a  spiritual 
power  like  his  to  say  "  do  "  and  it  is  done, 
what  wonder  that  this  thrifty  and  virtuous 
people  should  have  made  Nauvoo  that  which 
its  name  denotes — the  Beautiful  City,  the 
home  of  peace  and  joy.' ' 

He  laid  down  the  newspaper  upon  the 
marble-topped  table,  his  large  hand  outspread 


346  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

upon  it.  "  My  sister,  why  do  you  wish  to 
leave  this  beautiful  city?  It  is  a  place  where 
each  may  have  home  and  part  and  lot  in  its 
delights,  but  to  you  all  its  wealth  and  power 
and  beauty  is  offered.  Did  I  not  say  unto 
you,  when  as  a  beautiful  damsel  you  gave  up 
home  and  kindred  for  the  sake  of  the  Church, 
that  you  should  be  as  a  queen  among  its  elect 
women,  riding  as  in  a  carriage  drawn  by  white 
horses  and  receiving  the  elect  from  among  the 
nations?  " 

The  recollection  of  the  prophecy  which 
he  had  delivered  concerning  her  upon  the 
desolate  autumn  road  at  Fayette  brought  with 
it  another  recollection — that  of  her  parting 
with  Ephraim  the  same  morning — so  vividly 
that  her  eyes  filled  with  tears.  Yet  she  mar 
velled  too,  with  inquisitive  recognition  of  the 
miracle,  that  the  words  of  the  visionary,  then 
a  beggar,  should  have  been  so  nearly  fulfilled. 

"  It  is  quite  true,  Mr.  Smith,  and  very  mar 
vellous  that  what  you  promised  me  should  al 
most  be  literally  fulfilled.  We  have  come  to 
it,  as  you  also  foretold,  by  a  path  most  ter 
rible,  and  now  we  arrive  at  the  consumma 
tion.  We  live  in  a  palace,  and  at  its  doors 
pilgrims  from  England  and  all  parts  of  Eu 
rope  are  arriving  every  day,  and  the  richest 
of  gowns,  the  grandest  of  carriages,  and  the 
whitest  of  horses  are  truly  at  my  disposal. 
But  there  is  one  discrepancy  between  your 
vision  and  the  fact — I  will  not  wear  the  silk 
robes,  nor  welcome  the  pilgrims  with  the  as- 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  347 

surance  that  they  have  here  reached  the  City 
of  God.  I  will  not  because  I  cannot.  I  re 
fuse  to  accept  from  the  hand  of  God  such 
paltry  things  as  money  and  display,  or  even 
the  honest  affluence  of  our  people,  as  com 
pensation  for  the  fire  and  blood  through 
which  we  have  waded.  If  there  be  a  God 
who  is  the  shepherd  of  those  who  seek  him, 
this  is  not  the  sort  of  table  that  he  spreads, 
this  is  not  the  cup  which  he  causes  to  run 
over  " — she  had  begun  lightly,  but  her  voice 
became  more  earnest.  "  Mr.  Smith,  we  have 
walked  through  the  shadow  of  death  together; 
if  you  would  be  exalted  in  the  presence  of 
your  enemies,  have  done  with  your  childish 
delight  in  such  toys." 

Smith  moved  uneasily  on  his  velvet-cov 
ered  chair,  and  it,  being  of  a  rather  cheap 
sort,  creaked  under  his  bulk. 

"  What  says  it  in  the  end  of  the  Book  of 
Job,  Sister  Halsey?  and  what  compensation 
did  the  Lord  give  for  the  sore  temptations 
with  which  he  had  allowed  the  devil  to  tempt 
his  servant?  As  I  read,  it  was  fourteen  thou 
sand  sheep  and  six  thousand  camels,  and " 

She  gave  him  credit  for  knowing  the  pas 
sage  by  heart;  she  had  the  rudeness  to  inter 
rupt.  She  rose  and  stood  before  him.  All 
the  long  latent  defiance  which  her  heart  had 
treasured  against  him  found  vent  in  her  tone, 
"  Very  well,  Mr.  Smith,  if  that  satisfied  Job,  it 
will  not  satisfy  me." 

Smith,  cast  out  of  all  his  shrewd  calcula- 


348  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

tions  as  to  what  would  win  this  woman,  fell 
back  upon  the  inner  genius  of  that  priestcraft 
which  so  often  surpassed  his  conscious  intelli 
gence. 

"  What  would  satisfy  you?  "  It  was  a  sim 
ple  question,  and  he  asked  it  with  overwhelm 
ing  force.  "  By  the  hand  of  trust  and  affec 
tion  which  your  husband  gave  me;  by  the 
memory  of  the  beautiful  babe  that  he  brought 
first  to  me  for  my  blessing  (and  I  laid  my 
hand  on  its  little  warm  head  and  blessed  it); 
by  these  I  claim  the  right  to  ask,  Sister  Hal- 
sel,  what  is  it  that  in  Nauvoo  or  in  any  other 
city  would  satisfy  you?  " 

She  was  humiliated  in  her  own  eyes.  Alas ! 
she  had  strong  evidence  that  Ephraim's  af 
fection,  on  which  she  had  staked  all  earthly 
hope  of  happiness,  had  in  some  way  failed. 
Now  under  Smith's  eye  all  courage  to  hold 
the  unrealised  ideal  was  lost;  as  the  fixed  stars 
twinkle,  so  her  faith  went  out  for  the  moment 
of  his  interrogation.  Her  head  sank  in  a 
shame  she  could  not  confess. 

While  she  hesitated  he  was  looking  at  her 
shrewdly.  "  You  know  not  what.  Shall  I 
tell  you?  There  is  but  one  thing,  and  that  is 
love — the  love  that  works  for  those  who  are 
in  need.  Work  for  the  needy  is  love  to  God 
and  man,  my  sister." 

He  paused,  looking  at  her  with  a  glow  of 
enthusiasm.  Whatever  he  might  be  to  others, 
this  man,  coarse  in  his  outer  nature,  but  liable 
always  to  eruptions  of  the  sensitive  inward 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 


349 


soul  of  the  visionary,  was  in  this  woman's 
presence  often  merely  what  she  compelled  him 
to  be.  If  she  had  known  that  this  was  the 
secret  of  his  power  over  her,  the  spell  might 
have  been  less. 

"  Is  it  not  true,  Sister  Susannah?"  he 
asked. 

She  gave  the  admission  mechanically. 

He  went  on,  "  I  don't  take  it  at  all  hard 
that  you  should  feel  that  we  are  none  of  us 
up  to  you,  but  feel  as  you  do  that  we  are  be 
neath  you,  for  there  isn't  a  lady  in  the  place 
that's  equal  to  you  in  delicate  ways  and  sense 
and  a  mind  to  study  books;  but  it  seems  to 
me  that  that's  a  reason  why  you  should  love 
us,  Sister  Halsey.  There  is  work  for  you  to 
do;  we  need  your  guiding  hand.  You  say 
to  me  that  I  am  content  with  horses  and 
sumptuous  living  and  fine  raiment;  and  know- 
est  thou  not  that  there  is  upon  my  soul  a  great 
burden,  even  the  burden  of  this  great  peo 
ple,  to  go  in  and  out  before  them  and  guide 
them  aright?  I  have  need  of  thy  counsel, 
my  sister;  there's  that  which  at  this  time  is 
greatly  agitating  my  own  mind  and  the  minds 
of  our  bishops  and  apostles,  Sister  Halsey, 
and  it  is  of  such  nature  that  we  cannot  pro 
claim  it  openly  until  we  know  the  mind  of  the 
Lord.  On  all  other  matters  we  have  accepted 
the  teaching  of  the  Scriptures.  For,  behold, 
we  have  now  the  priesthood  of  Aaron  in  our 
midst,  and  the  priesthood  of  Melchizedek,  and 
the  rites  of  the  temple,  save  only  the  spilling 


350  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

of  the  blood  of  bulls  and  goats,  which  has 
been  done  away  with  by  the  Gospel.  We  have 
gone  back  to  the  first  things,  as  is  well  known 
to  you,  Sister  Susannah,  and  even  here  in  the 
wilderness  we  have  set  up  our  theocracy,  and 
for  its  civil  law  we  have  sought  where  alone 
such  law  can  be  found,  in  the  command  given 
unto  the  children  of  Israel  before  they  de 
sired  a  king,  just  as  for  all  spiritual  law  we 
have  accepted  the  commands  given  to  the 
apostles  in  the  new  dispensation,  taking  them 
as  they  were,  without  whittling  them  away 
as  a  boy  whittles  a  stick  with  a  knife,  as  all 
those  sects  which  will  not  hear  our  voice 
have  done.  Now,  Sister  Susannah,  is  this 
true?  "  He  put  his  head  a  little  on  one  side 
and  looked  at  her  with  his  eyes  partially 
closed. 

'''  You  need  not  take  very  long  to  explain 
that  you  worship  the  letter  of  the  Scriptures, 
for  I  know  it  already,  Mr.  Smith." 

But  he  was  in  full  tide,  and  went  on, 
"  When  the  Book  says,  *  Heal  the  sick,'  we 
don't  say  that  that  means  something  else,  but 
we  set  about  and  heal  'em."  He  slapped  his 
knee  with  the  palm  of  his  hand.  "  When  it 
says,  '  Cast  out  devils,'  we  don't  stare  round 
like  the  other  sects  and  say,  '  There  ain't  no 
devils,'  but  we  cast  'em  out;  and  in  the  same 
way,  when  the  Book  says  that  the  priesthood 
of  Aaron  and  the  priesthood  after  the  order 
of  Melchizedek  shall  be  serving  always  in  the 
church  and  in  the  temple,  then  we  say,  'Amen, 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  351 

so  shall  it  be  ' ;  and  the  same  way  with  regard 
to  tithing,  for  the  Lord's  tithes  are  recognised 
amo/ig  us,  and  the  first-fruits,  and  the  Sab 
bath  day,  and  all  such  ordinances,  no  picking 
and  choosing  as  others." 

Then  he  explained  to  her  again,  as  in 
Kirtland,  that  he  was  in  doubt  concerning  the 
marriage  laws  of  the  State.  He  said  that, 
having  searched  the  Scriptures,  and  learned 
what  he  could  from  other  books,  he  was  fully 
convinced  that  it  was  the  modern  so-called 
"  orthodox  "  Christian  Church  (in  which  lit 
tle  else  but  signs  of  deadness  and  lack  of  faith 
appeared)  that  alone  condemned  the  ancient 
usage  of  the  patriarchs,  which  in  the  Bible 
was  nowhere  condemned.  He  had  read  in  a 
book  that  many  of  the  Jews  and  most  of  the 
Asiatics  had  more  than  one  wife  at  the  time 
of  the  apostles,  and  yet  they  had  not  preached 
against  this  as  an  evil. 

"  They  did  not  preach  against  slavery," 
said  Susannah. 

"  They  did  not,"  he  said,  "  and  I  would 
say  parenthetically,  my  sister,  that  it  may  be 
that  our  views  on  that  subject,  coming  from 
the  northern  States  as  you  and  I  have  done, 
have  not  been  according  to  the  mind  of  the 
Lord.  I  would  have  no  man  a  slave  because 
of  misfortune,  but  if  a  man  proved  himself  un 
fit  to  rule  himself,  I'm  not  sure  about  his  being 
free." 

"  Do  you  intend  to  revive  slavery  in  our 
own  race?  Will  your  own  people  when  they 


352  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

fail  in  business  be  sold,  with  their  wives  and 
children,  as  in  the  Old  Testament?  " 

"  I  can't  see  but  that  it  would  be  a  deal 
less  mean  to  arrange  it  that  way  than  to  bring 
a  race  of  free  blacks  from  their  own  country 
and  make  every  child  they  have  a  slave  be 
cause  he  happens  to  be  a  nigger."  She  re 
marked  that  his  mild  blue  eye  lit  up  with  the 
true  flash  of  the  indignation  of  contemplative 
justice.  "  There's  one  thing  certain,"  contin 
ued  he,  "  in  my  Church  of  the  Latter-Day 
Saints  no  man  shall  be  a  slave  to  his  brother 
because  he  happens  to  have  a  black  skin,  for, 
as  the  Scripture  says,  '  Can  the  Ethiopian 
change  his  skin?  ' 

Surrounded  as  they  were  by  the  atmos 
phere  of  slavery,  there  was  the  resonance  of 
true  heroism,  of  true  insight  into  the  right, 
in  his  tone,  but  the  reason  he  gave — could  it 
be  possible  thafr  he  thought  that  the  text  he 
quoted  was  an  authority  for  his  instinctive  jus 
tice?  It  was  obvious  to  her  that  he  was  only 
a  fool  who  walked  by  the  light  of  sundry 
flashes  of  genius,  but  there  was  still  the  chance 
that  the  sum  of  idiocy  and  the  genius  might 
prove  greater  than  the  intelligence  of  com 
mon  men. 

He  went  on,  "  But,  anyhow,  it  isn't  the 
institootion  of  slavery  that's  come  up  for  me 
to  decide  just  here  and  now.  Since  we  have 
been  blessed  with  peace  and  prosperity,  the 
female  converts  that  our  missionaries  have 
been  making  all  over  the  world  (whom  they 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  353 

have  kept  back  from  coming  to  us,  letting  no 
unmarried  female  come  whilst  the  fires  of  per 
secution  were  passing  over  us)  have  arrived 
in  great  numbers,  and  the  question  is,  Sister 
Susannah,  how  are  we  to  steady  'em?  " 

What  seemed  so  impossible  to  achieve  in 
a  pioneer  State  had  in  Nauvoo  actually  been 
achieved — the  women  were  in  excess  of  the 
men.  He  had,  in  sober  truth,  a  social  problem 
to  solve,  and  the  responsibility  rested  alone 
upon  him.  Brotherly  love  having  been  incul 
cated,  the  manners  of  the  Saints  were  cheer 
ful  and  familiar,  more  familiar,  he  said,  than 
he  desired;  but  after  all  that  they  had  endured 
he  was  fain  to  lay  upon  them  no  greater  bur 
den  than  need  be.  He  appealed  to  her,  ask 
ing  if  on  his  first  release  from  imprisonment 
he  had  not  been  strict  in  his  injunctions. 

"  But  now,"  he  said,  "  w7ho  am  I  that  I 
should  be  able  to  take  care  of  all  the  young 
women  that  the  Lord  is  sending  to  us  from  all 
parts  of  the  world?  or  am  I  to  deny  to  them 
the  privilege  of  coming  to  live  among  the 
Lord's  people?  Am  I  to  say  to  them  that  un 
less  they  have  learning  and  wisdom  and  are 
perfect  they  shall  not  come?  I  guess  that  if 
it  had  been  required  of  me  to  be  perfect  be 
fore  I  came  to  seek  salvation,  I  wouldn't  have 
come  at  all.  But  it's  just  like  this — here  they 
are!  and  they  are  nothing  but  poor  ignorant 
working  girls  from  England  and  Ireland  and 
all  parts  of  Europe.  And  am  I  to  make  nun 
neries  to  put  them  into?  " 


354  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

He  confessed  with  some  delicacy  of  lan 
guage  and  words  of  bitter  regret  that  there 
had  been  of  late  some  cases  in  Nauvoo  such 
as  were  common  enough,  alas!  in  Gentile  so 
ciety,  but  whose  occurrence  among  the  Saints 
had  caused  excitement.  Joseph  Smith  paced 
Susannah's  room;  his  harassment  and  distress 
on  behalf  of  his  people  were  either  deeply  felt 
or  well  feigned,  and  Susannah  had  no  doubt 
that  his  feeling  was  true,  that  phase  of  him 
being  for  the  time  uppermost.  When  he  came 
to  sit  down  beside  her  again,  it  was  to  sketch 
the  misery  to  men  and  women  and  children 
which  existed  in  Gentile  society  from  this  evil, 
which  he  affirmed  to  run  riot  through  the 
warp  and  woof  of  so-called  orthodox  commu 
nities. 

Her  ignorance  of  the  world  was  so  great 
that  she  assumed  this  accusation  to  be  of  the 
same  stuff  as  the  anathemas  he  constantly  cast 
against  the  integrity  of  the  orthodox  clergy. 
The  point  that  she  grasped  was  that  he  be 
lieved  the  thing  that  he  said.  She  had  at  first 
assumed  that  should  he  propose  to  institute 
polygamy  she  would  know  then,  once  for  all, 
that  he  was  a  villain;  but  now  this  test  de 
serted  her.  He  was  meditating  this  step,  and 
it  seemed  that  his  arguments,  if  the  facts  on 
which  he  based  them  were  admitted,  had  some 
value. 

"  There's  that  for  one  thing,  Sister  Susan 
nah,"  Smith  went  on  in  a  broken  voice;  "it 
has  been  a  mean  sort  of  thing  to  have  to  tell 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  355 

you,  but  it  had  to  be  said,  and  now  there's 
another  thing  to  be  considered.  Among  the 
Gentiles  who  is  it  that  has  the  most  children? 
Is  it  your  man  that's  high  up  in  the  ranks  of 
society,  who  has  money  enough  to  give  them 
a  good  education,  to  feed  and  clothe  'em? 
or  is  it  your  poor  man,  whose  children  run 
over  one  another  like  little  pigs  in  a^sty,  and 
he  caring  nothing  for  them,  and  they  have 
rickety  bones  and  are  half  starved  and  grow 
up  to  be  idle  and  steal?  I  have  noticed  that 
a  good  man  is  apt  to  have  good  children,  and 
a  clever  man  is  apt  to  have  clever  children, 
and  a  worthless  man  is  apt  to  have  worthless 
children.  Ain't  that  so?  And  what  sort  of 
children  do  we  want  the  most  of?  Well,  in 
this  way  we  wouldn't  let  your  worthless  fel 
low  have  any  wife  at  all  until  he  had  brought 
forth  fruit  meet  for  repentance,  and  your  com 
mon  man  only  one;  but  I  don't  see  but  that 
it  would  be  a  real  benefit  to  the  State  if  your 
good,  all-round  man,  as  would  be  apt  to  have 
pious  and  clever  children,  had  two  or  three 
or  four  families  agrowing  up  to  be  an  hon 
our  to  him  and  to  the  Church,  if  it  ain't 
against  the  command  of  the  Lord  ;  and  in 
Holy  Writ  the  Lord  himself  says  to  Solomon 
that  he  would  have  given  him  as  many  wives 
as  he  wanted,  barring  them  being  Gentiles." 
"I  will  not  argue  about  the  Bible;  you 
and  I  interpret  it  very  differently,"  she  cried. 
'  Your  social  argument  might  be  well  enough 
if  it  were  not  that  your  good  man  when  he 


356  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

had  more  than  one  wife  would  cease  to  be  a 
good  man " — her  voice  was  vibrating  with 
faith — "  and  his  children  would  therefore  have 
the  poorest  chance  from  inheritance  or  train- 
ing." 

He  was  again  pacing,  but  paused  in  his 
ponderous  walk,  struck  by  a  flaw  in  his  argu 
ment  which  he  had  not  before  seen.  "  But  if 
it  were  commanded  by  the  Lord,  Sister  Su 
sannah?  " 

"  God  does  not  command  this  wickedness. 
What  you  command  in  his  name  is  at  your 
own  peril,  Mr.  Smith." 

He  paused  before  her,  asking  with  reflect 
ive  curiosity,  "  Why  are  you  so  sure  that  it 
would  be  wickedness,  sister?  " 

She  had  not  arguments  at  command;  she 
held  fast  to  her  assurance  with  the  same 
dogged  unreasoning  faith  with  which  Ephra- 
im's  mother  had  of  old  held  her  belief  that 
this  Smith  must  be  an  arch-villain;  she  had 
put  the  whole  power  of  her  volitionary  na 
ture  upon  the  side  of  faith  in  the  ideal  mar 
riage,  although  she  was  painfully  conscious 
that  she  had  come  across  no  particle  of 
evidence  for  the  existence  of  such  a  state. 
Out  of  faith,  out  of  mere  instinct  of  heart, 
which  had  not  worked  itself  out  in  intelligent 
thought,  she  gave  her  unhesitating  judgment. 
"  I  say  that  it  would  be  wicked  because  I  feel 
that  it  would  be  wicked;  and  any  good  wom 
an,"  she  paused  and  looked  him  straight  in 
the  eyes,  "  and  any  good  man,  would  know  its 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  357 

wickedness  without  arguments,  and  without 
weighing  all  possible  considerations." 

His  eyes  fell  before  hers.  He  looked  not 
angry,  but  grieved.  As  for  Susannah,  in  the 
heat  of  her  indignation  she  did  not  know  that 
her  own  long  effort  to  resist  the  unreasoning 
acceptance  of  cut-and-dried  doctrines  and  any 
dogmatic  insistance  upon  opinion  had  here 
failed. 

Smith  stood  for  some  moments  before 
her,  and  her  fire  cooled.  He  sighed  at  her 
dictum.  Then  he  said  gently,  "  But  your 
judgment  in  this  matter  has  great  weight  with 
me,  sister,  and  if  I  accept  it  you  will  perceive 
that  you  are  indeed  the  elect  lady,  and  that 
by  living  in  the  light  of  your  countenance  I 
shall  obtain  peace." 

It  was  difficult  for  her  not  to  suppose  that 
her  influence  was  beneficial.  She  thought  at 
the  moment  that  when  she  had  left  this  place 
she  might  still  correspond  with  Smith  if  he 
desired  it.  If  it  was  part  of  his  eccentricity 
to  be  willing  to  listen  to  her,  why  should  she 
not  be  willing  to  speak,  and  thus  keep  his 
madness  under  control? 

Smith,  regarding  her,  caught  the  gracious 
look  upon  her  face  which  had  opposed  to  him 
so  often  only  a  mask  of  reserve.  His  imagina 
tive  hopes  were  always  ready  to  magnify  by 
many  dimensions  the  smallest  fact  which  fa 
voured  them.  His  unsteady  mind  was  fired 
by  the  presumption  of  some  triumph. 

"  Have  not  I,  even  the  prophet  of  this 


358  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

great  people,  waited  with  great  patience?  As 
the  apostle  saith,  '  Let  patience  have  her  per 
fect  work/  ' 

Susannah  started  and  wondered. 

"  For  behold  I  did  not  desire  that  our  dear 
brother,  Angel  Halsey,  should  go  into  the 
forefront  of  the  battle,  nor  would  I  trouble 
the  first  grief  of  thy  widowhood,  but  behold 
I  have  waited." 

"  For  what?  "  Her  question  came  sharp 
ly.  His  tone  had  changed  her  mood  sudden 
ly;  a  memory  flashed  on  her  of  the  ill-written 
letter  which  Emma  had  shown  her  of  the 
phrases  concerning  the  spiritual  "  bride  "  or 
"  guide  "  who,  even  if  all  licence  were  denied 
to  humbler  folk,  was  to  be  a  prophet's  special 
perquisite.  "  What  have  you  been  waiting 
for,  Mr.  Smith?  " 

"  Nay,  but  I  have  waited,  sister,  until,  hav 
ing  eyes,  you  should  see,  and  ears,  you  should 
hear,  till  you  should  understand  that,  going 
in  and  out  before  this  great  people,  it  is  neces 
sary  for  me  to  seek  wisdom  in  counsel,  and, 
above  all,  of  a  woman  who  hath  a  finer  sense 
than  man.  And  it  has  been  revealed  to  me, 
sister,  that  this  may  only  be  if  thou  shouldst 
give  the  counsels  of  thy  mind  and  the  smile 
of  thy  beauty  to  me  alone  and  to  none  other, 
for  that  which  is  divided  is  not  to  be  accepted 
for  the  building  up  of  the  Church." 

"  You  would  have  me  believe  that  you 
have  waited  many  years  with  the  virtue  of  pa 
tience  before  you  say  this?  Understand  your- 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  359 

self  better.  It  was  not  patience;  it  was  fear. 
You  have  known  perfectly  well  always  that 
I  would  never  have  listened  to  such  a  pro 
posal  for  a  moment.  It  has  been  fear  and  pru 
dence  that  have  hitherto  kept  you  silent. 
What  is  it  that  has  made  you  speak  now?  " 

With  sharp  decisive  tones  she  chid  him  as 
children  are  chidden  in  anger,  but  childish  as 
he  often  was,  he  had  yet  other  elements  in 
his  character;  his  blue  eyes  gave  an  answering 
flash  that  was  ominous;  the  droop  of  his  atti 
tude  stiffened. 

"  That  which  is  ordained  by  the  Lord  is 
ordained,  sister,  and  it  causeth  me  grief  to 
know  that  this  revelation,  which  I  told  thee 
many  years  since,  is  yet  to  be  received  of  thee 
as  a  grievous  thing,  nevertheless " 

"  Nevertheless,"  she  repeated  in  a  mock 
ing  tone,  as  one  weary  of  foolishness,  "  what 
nevertheless?  Let  us  talk  on  some  better  sub 
ject,  Mr.  Smith,  and  after  this  be  kind  enough 
to  have  no  dreams  or  revelations  about  me. 
Dream  of  your  Church,  if  you  like.  I  cannot 
hinder  your  people's  credulity,  and  I  hope  that 
you  will  continue,  as  you  have  begun,  to  lead 
them  in  the  main  by  righteous  paths.  And 
have  your  dreams  and  visions  about  yourself, 
if  you  must,  for  I  sometimes  think  that  you 
cannot  be  much  madder  than  you  are  now, 
but  be  kind  enough  to  leave  me  out  of  them, 
for  I  am  going  away." 

She  had  now  made  him  very  angry.  He 
was  standing  with  flushed  face,  quivering  with 
24 


360  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

uncertain  impulses  of  rising  wrath,  yet  he  still 
struggled  for  self-control. 

"'  Sister  Susannah  Halsey,  it  is  not  meet 
that  you  should  make  a  mock  of  that  which 
is  sacred  " — he  gave  a  gasp  here  of  stifled 
anger,  and  there  was  a  perceptible  note  of 
wounded  affection  beside  the  louder  one  of 
offended  vanity — "  of  that  which  is  above  all 
sacred,"  he  stuttered,  "  it  is  not  meet — meet 
— to  mock — to  mock."  The  veins  on  his  fore 
head  were  standing  out  and  growing  purple. 

She  had  often  heard  of  Joseph  Smith's 
power  of  rage,  before  which  all  the  Saints 
quailed.  She  saw  it  now  for  the  first  time. 

She  rose  up,  trying  now  a  tone  of  gentle 
severity.  "  I  spoke  lightly  because  your 
words  appeared  to  me  childish  and  silly,  but 
the  more  in  earnest  you  were,  Mr.  Smith,  the 
more  need  there  is  you  should  have  done 
with  a  thought  that  could  lead  to  no  good. 
I  am  no  elect  lady.  Why  do  you  deceive  your 
self?  I  have 'told  you  before  that  I  do  not 
even  believe  in  your  religion." 

As  she  spoke  she  became  more  and  more 
amazed  at  the  thought  of  what  his  self-decep 
tion  must  have  been,  for  in  his  ever-shifting 
mind  he  knew  her  infidelity  perfectly,  and  yet 
had  persuaded  himself  that  she  would  accept 
some  fantastic  position  as  prophetess-in-chief. 

"  How  mad  you  are,"  she  said  pityingly, 
"  to  know  a  thing  and  yet  to  pretend  to  your 
self  you  do  not  know  it.  Go  and  get  your 
supper,  Mr.  Smith.  Emma  will  be  waiting  to 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  361 

give  it  to  you.  And  when  you  have  thought 
quietly  over  what  I  have  said,  you  are  quite 
clever  enough  to  see  that  my  way  of  looking 
at  it  is  more  sensible  than  yours." 

She  had  perhaps  supposed  that  the  men 
tion  of  the  domestic  supper  would  be  punitive 
rather  than  soothing,  but  she  was  not  pre 
pared  to  find  that  she  had  displayed  scarlet  to 
the  blood-shot  eyes  of  a  bull. 

"  Woman,"  his  voice,  deep  and  hoarse, 
was  like  thunder  about  her  ears,  "  woman,  is 
it  not  enough  that  the  Lord  has  spoken?  " 

She  saw  by  his  purple  face  and  parched 
lip,  by  the  hard  shudder  that  went  through 
his  frame,  that  his  fury  was  stronger  than  he. 
She  quailed  inwardly. 

"  It  is  not  enough  for  me  that  you  say  the 
Lord  has  spoken." 

His  lips  worked  as  if  in  the  effort  to  form 
anathemas  his  dry  throat  refused  to  utter. 
Then,  regaining  his  loud  hoarse  speech,  with 
a  choking  noise  he  lifted  his  hand  in  a  gesture 
of  sacerdotal  menace. 

"  Woman,  it  is  the  last  time.  Choose  ye 
this  day  between  blessing  and  cursing,  for  the 
Lord  shall  send  the  cursing  until  thou  be  de 
stroyed  and  perish  quickly,  because  of  the 
wickedness  of  thy  doings  whereby  thou  hast 
forsaken  me." 

She  cried  in  answering  excitement,  "  I 
choose  your  curse  rather  than  your  blessing 
under  the  conditions  you  propose.  You  are 
mad;  go  and  calm  yourself." 


362  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

Then,  having  exhausted  her  physical  cour 
age  in  this  last  defiance,  she  went  into  her 
inner  room,  locking  the  door,  leaving  him  in 
the  manifest  suffering  of  an  almost  unendur 
able  rage. 


CHAPTER    III. 

THAT  night  Susannah  packed  her  posses 
sions  in  the  smallest  possible  compass.  The 
money  she  had  lent  to  Emma  would  be  suf 
ficient  for  the  journey  to  Carthage,  which  was 
the  nearest  Gentile  town,  and  thither  she  was 
determined  to  go  without  an  hour's  delay, 
ready  now  to  work  or  beg  her  way  on  the 
journey  farther  eastward. 

As  soon  as  the  business  of  the  next  day 
was  fairly  started  she  went  to  the  suite  of 
rooms  inhabited  by  the  Smiths,  confident  that 
Joseph's  excess  of  fury  had  been  transient. 
Emma  was  surrounded  by  her  children,  to 
whom  she  had  just  given  breakfast.  The 
prophet  was  about  to  descend  to  his  business 
office.  They  both  received  Susannah  with 
moderate  kindness. 

The  March  sun  shone  in  through  the  large 
windows  upon  the  garish  furniture  of  the 
apartment,  upon  Emma's  gay  attire,  and  upon 
the  shining  faces  of  the  three  children,  who 
stood  gazing  upward  at  Susannah,  quick,  as 
children  always  are,  to  perceive  signs  of  sup 
pressed  excitement. 

Susannah  explained  that  she  had  deter 
mined  to  go  to  Carthage  that  day,  where  she 

363 


364  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

hoped  soon  to  find  some  party  of  travellers 
in  whose  escort  she  could  travel  farther;  she 
hoped  that  it  would  be  quite  convenient  for 
Emma  to  return  the  money  that  morning. 

Smith  gazed  at  Susannah  intently,  but 
only  for  a  few  moments.  It  seemed  that  his 
mood  had  changed  entirely,  that  he  was  now 
too  much  absorbed  in  the  business  of  the  day, 
whatever  it  might  be,  to  care  whether  she 
went  or  stayed.  He  left  them,  saying  that  he 
W7ould  send  money  to  Emma  as  soon  as  he 
could,  that  the  trifling  debt  might  be  paid. 

Money  flowed  in  such  easy  streams 
through  the  hands  of  the  leading  men  of  Nau- 
voo,  that  Susannah  supposed  that  a  messen 
ger  with  the  required  amount  would  come  up 
the  stairs  in  a  few  minutes.  She  sat  with 
Emma  in  this  expectation. 

"  You  are  offended  with  me  for  going?  " 
she  asked,  for  Emma's  mask  of  indifference 
was  worn  obviously. 

"  You  wish  to  destroy  your  soul,"  said 
Emma. 

"  Ah,  but  you  know,  you  have  long 
known,  that  I  do  not  believe  that  salvation 
in  this  world  or  the  next  depends  on  the  rites 
of  Mr.  Smith's  Church." 

"  If  I  told  this  child  that  he  would  be 
dashed  to  pieces  if  he  walked  out  of  the  win 
dow,  and  he  did  not  believe  me,  would  that 
save  him?  " 

Emma  made  this  inquiry  with  triumphant 
scorn;  then  she  rose  and  began  to  attend  to 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  365 

the  wants  of  her  children  in  a  bustling 
manner. 

Susannah  sighed  and  smiled.  "  I  have  at 
least  the  right  to  reject  your  faith  at  my  own 
peril,  for  there  is  not  in  the  wide  world,  as  far 
as  I  know,  man  or  woman  who  cares  whether 
I  save  my  soul  or  not." 

"  And  whose  fault?  "  cried  Emma,  coarse 
now  in  her  discomposure.  "  If  you  are  so 
stuck-up  that  you  think  you  can  read  your 
books  and  look  down  on  us  all,  just  because 
you  are  a  beauty  and  the  gentlemen  bow  down 
to  you,  'tisn't  likely  that  you'd  have  any 
friends  acting  that  way.  You  can't  even  be 
have  civil  to  the  gentlemen  when  they  offer 
you  the  best  that's  going." 

It  was  evident  that  some  version  of 
Smith's  interviews  with  her  had  been  given 
to  his  wife.  Susannah  wondered  how  much 
truth,  how  much  fiction,  had  been  in  the  re 
lation.  It  did  not  matter  much  to  her  now, 
since  she  had  resolved  to  go  at  once.  The 
whole  of  her  life  with  that  troublous  sect 
seemed  to  be  dropping  from  her  like  a  dream. 

Leaving  word  that  she  would  receive  the 
money  on  her  return  or  else  call  at  Smith's 
office  for  it  when  she  was  ready,  she  went 
down  into  the  cheerful  noise  of  the  street  and 
bargained  with  a  man  who  had  horses  and 
vehicles  for  hire.  Having  arranged  that  he 
should  come  for  her  at  noon,  she  went  about 
to  make  the  few  farewells  she  felt  to  be  de 
sirable. 


366  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

Darling  was  now  postmaster  of  Nauvoo 
and  one  of  the  first  presidency.  To  him  she 
went  first.  She  shrank  from  him  because  of 
his  coarseness  and  the  jocular  admiration 
which  he  sometimes  had  the  audacity  to  ex 
press  for  her,  but  she  could  not  forget  how 
assiduous  his  kindness  had  been  in  the  days 
of  Elvira's  illness.  She  found  him  sitting,  his 
heels  on  the  upper  part  of  a  chimney-piece 
with  a  fireless  grate,  reading  the  Millenial 
Star.  The  hot  April  sun,  streaming  through 
the  windows  of  his  office,  had  caused  him  to 
take  off  his  coat,  which  was  no  longer  thread 
bare.  His  shirt  sleeves  were  fine  enough  and 
white;  the  high  hat  that  was  pushed  far  on 
the  back  of  his  head  was  highly  polished. 
Opulence,  self-indulgence,  good-nature,  and  a 
certain  element  of  fanatical  fire  mingled  in 
the  atmosphere  of  the  postmaster's  office,  and 
made  it  somewhat  turgid. 

When  Darling  heard  Susannah's  errand 
he  became  serious  enough.  An  apoplectic 
sort  of  breathlessness  came  over  him,  express 
ing  a  degree  of  interest  which  she  could  not 
understand.  He  settled  his  hat  more  firmly 
upon  his  head.  "  Does  the  prophet  know?  " 

"  He  knows.  I  have  said  good-bye  to  him 
and  to  Mrs.  Smith.  It  is  sad  to  part  with 
friends  that  I  have  known  for  so  many  years." 

"  And  the  prophet's  going  to  let  you  go, 
is  he?  " 

Darling,  clumsy  at  all  times,  in  this  speech 
conveyed  to  Susannah  the  first  faint  suspicion 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  367 

that  Smith  might  dream  of  detaining  her  by 
force. 

Darling's  youngest  daughter,  who  had 
been  an  affectionate  pupil  to  Susannah  at 
Quincy,  waylaid  her  as  she  came  out,  and 
clasped  her  about  the  waist  with  the  ardour 
of  an  indulged  child.  She  was  a  blithesome 
girl  of  about  fourteen. 

"  I  heard  you  tell  father  that  you  are  go 
ing  away.  Is  it  true?  "  she  asked  impetu 
ously. 

Susannah  tried  to  release  herself  from  the 
embrace.  "  Yes,  it  is  true.  Never  mind,  you 
like  your  new  teacher,  you  know,  just  as  well 
as  you  used  to  like  me." 

"  I  just  guess  I  don't,"  cried  the  child  de 
fiantly.  "  But  anyhow,  if  you  are  going  away, 
I'm  going  to  tell  you  something." 

Whether  the  childish  love  of  telling  a  se 
cret,  the  girlish  love  of  mischief,  or  a  dawning 
sense  of  womanly  responsibility  was  upper 
most,  it  would  be  hard  to  tell.  There,  in  the 
open  square,  while  worthy  Saints  hurried  to 
and  fro  on  the  pavement  beside  them,  while 
horses  jangled  their  harness  and  drivers 
shouted  and  exchanged  their  morning  greet 
ings,  Darling's  youngest  daughter  drew  Su 
sannah's  head  downward  and  hastily  whis 
pered  to  her  the  fate  of  her  letters  to  Ephraim 
Croom. 

"  I  know,  for  one  day  since  we  came  here 
I  heard  father  talking  to  the  prophet.  He 
said  you'd  written  lately  while  you  were  at 


368  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

Quincy,  and  all  your  letters  had  been  burned. 
Now  that's  the  truth;  and  I  said  to  myself 
'twas  a  sin  and  a  shame,  and  that  you  ought 
to  know.  Now  don't  go  and  tell  tales  of  me, 
or  father  will  be  mad — at  least  as  mad  as  he 
ever  can  be  with  me."  A  toss  of  the  pretty 
head  accompanied  these  words,  a  flash  of  con 
scious  power  in  the  bright  eyes,  the  spoilt 
child  knowing  that  her  father  was  in  her  toils 
now,  as  truly  as  any  future  lover  would  ever 
be.  The  school  bell  wras  ringing.  The  girl, 
her  bag  of  books  hanging  from  her  arm,  ran 
with  the  crowd  of  belated  children. 

Susannah  walked  on,  almost  stunned  at 
first  by  the  throb  of  intense  anger  that  came 
with  this  surprise.  Then  the  anger  was  sud 
denly  superseded,  hidden  and  crushed  down 
by  a  rush  of  joy.  Ephraim  had  not  neglected 
her;  Ephraim  had  given  her  up  for  dead;  but 
she  had  no  reason  to  suppose  that  he  wras 
dead,  no  reason  to  doubt  his  faithfulness.  Su 
sannah  trod  the  common  street  in  love  with 
motion  as  some  happy  woodland  creature 
treads  the  dells  in  the  hour  of  dawn  and 
spring. 

When  Elvira  looked  up  to  see  Susannah 
enter  her  gate  she  saw  her  friend  transfigured 
in  a  glow  of  returning  youth  and  hope.  El 
vira  looked  at  her  timidly;  this  Susannah  she 
had  never  seen  before.  Elvira's  husband  was 
not  present.  The  interior  of  the  house  was 
fantastic  almost  as  its  mistress,  but  sultry  with 
luxury. 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  369 

"  Well  now,  you  think  you  are  going," 
said  Elvira.  "  Who'd  have  thought  it?  And 
only  last  week  General  Bennet  said  to  the 
prophet  that  if  he'd  marry  you  to  him  he'd 
send  to  New  York  for  diamonds  both  for  you 
and  Emma  Smith.  He  said  he'd  get  a  thou 
sand  dollars'  worth  of  diamonds  apiece  for 
each  of  you;  but  Mr.  Darling  said  that  you 
ought  to  be  married  to  Mr.  Heber,  who  has 

just  been  elected  an  apostle,  because " 

She  stopped  suddenly,  nodding  her  head. 
"  You  know  why — blood  is  blood,  and  we 
have  seen  it  run  in  rivers,  but  we  don't  men 
tion  it  here  in  Nauvoo." 

Elvira  set  the  French  heel  of  her  slipper 
in  the  centre  of  a  rose  upon  her  carpet  and 
spun  round  upon  it  till  her  flounces  stood  out. 

"  We  don't  mention  it  here  in  Nauvoo." 

She  sang  as  if  it  were  the  refrain  to  a  song. 

Susannah  felt  from  within  her  shield  of 
new  delight  an  immense  pity.  Here  again 
was  a  revelation  of  the  coarse  and  frivolous 
talk  that  went  on  at  the  church  meetings,  and 
Elvira  was  privy  to  it  through  that  old  fool, 
her  husband.  How  could  she  endure  him! 

"  O  Elvira,  in  the  last  few  days  I  have  real 
ised  as  I  did  not  before  that  riches  are  mak 
ing  fools  of  these  men.  How  glad  I  am  that 
my  husband  died  before  he  knew  that  this  was 
to  be  the  reward  of  his  lifework  and  his 
prayers!  " 

Elvira  stopped  dancing.    The  mystical  side 


370  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

of  her  character  now,  as  ever,  came  forward 
suddenly  in  the  midst  of  her  other  interests. 
The  sunshine  was  bright  in  the  gaudy  room. 
A  tiny  spaniel,  which  Elvira's  senile  slave  had 
procured  for  her,  lay  on  a  red  cushion  in  its 
full  beam,  looking  more  like  a  toy  than  a  liv 
ing  thing.  When  Elvira  stopped  dancing  her 
flounces  settled  themselves  with  an  audible 
rustle,  and  her  thin  delicately-cut  face  looked 
at  Susannah  from  out  its  frame  of  curled  hair 
and  gold  ornaments  like  the  face  of  a  spirit 
imprisoned  in  some  unseemly  place. 

"  Heaven  help  us,  Susannah,"  she  cried 
shrilly,  "  if  you  call  Nauvoo  the  reward  of 
Angel's  prayers.  Look!  "  she  cried,  pointing 
out  of  the  window,  "  see  how  the  new  temple 
rises;  how  its  white  walls  shine  in  the  sun! 
We  are  putting  thousands  upon  thousands  of 
dollars  into  it.  It  will  be  the  grandest  build 
ing  this  side  of  the  Alleghany  mountains." 
She  let  her  small  jewelled  hand,  with  its  point 
ing  finger,  fall  suddenly,  "  and  there  shall  not 
be  left  one  stone  of  it  upon  another,  for  the 
House  of  God  is  not  made  with  hands." 

"  I  see  little  signs  of  its  foundations  here." 
Susannah  spoke  with  fire.  "  Treachery  and 
tyranny  are  poor  bricks." 

"  Child,  its  foundations  are  in  the  whole 
earth,  here  and  everywhere,  in  every  nation 
and  kindred.  Men  like  Angel  Halsey  sow 
wheat;  other  people  have  sown  tares.  The 
tares  happen  to  be  in  blossom  just  now  here 
in  Nauvoo."  She  seemed  to  forget  her  seri- 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  371 

ousness  as  suddenly,  for  again  she  spun  round 
upon  the  centre  of  her  rose,  singing  her  little 
musical  refrain. 

Susannah  made  one  more  appeal  of  the 
sort  that  she  had  made  so  often  before  El 
vira's  marriage. 

'  You  will  not  come  away  with  me,  El 
vira?  I  do  not  like  to  leave  you  here;  you 
have  not  been  yourself  since  Angel  died.  You 
are  not  bound  to  this  man  because  you  were 
not  sane  enough  to  make  a  valid  choice." 

It  was  plain  speaking,  but  it  did  not  ruffle 
Elvira's  composure  in  the  slightest.  .She 
laughed  and  began  to  caress  her  spaniel. 
"  Mad.  Oh  yes,  we  are  all  mad,  and  growing 
madder,  but  it  is  because  they  have  huddled 
us  together  at  the  point  of  the  sword,  until 
now  to  be  a  Mormon  means  to  be  shut  out 
from  the  world  and  shut  in  to — to  what?  To 
the  prophet's  dreams;  and  some  of  them  are 
good,  and  some  of  them  are  bad,  and  some 
of  them  are  mad;  and  let  us  thank  Heaven 
that  they  are  as  good  as  they  are,  for  to  go 
back  to  the  Gentiles  who  shot  down  Angel 
and  the  children  he  was  teaching  to  pray,  and 
your  child  in  your  arms,  that  would  be  the 
baddest  and  maddest  act  of  life."  She  rose  up 
suddenly  again.  "  Go!  "  she  cried.  There 
was  a  flame  of  real  anger  in  her  eyes.  "  Since 
the  wish  is  in  your  heart,  go!  We  believe  now 
in  strange  doctrines.  Two  new  doctrines  we 
have  learned  at  Nauvoo.  Do  you  know  what 
they  are?  One  is  '  baptism  of  the  dead/  If 


372  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

you  get  off  safely,  Susannah,  and  die  in  your 
sins,  one  of  us  must  be  baptized  again  for 
you,  so  that  you  will  be  saved  in  spite  of  your 
self.  But  the  other  doctrine  is  '  salvation  by 
the  shedding  of  blood. '  Do  you  understand  that 
doctrine?  " 

"  Indeed  I  do  not." 

"  And  you  speak  with  a  tone  that  says 
that  you  neither  know  nor  care  what  new 
things  we  have  been  learning.  But  you  may 
have  reason  to  care  before  many  hours  are 
over." 

She  came  near  and  whispered,  "  They 
teach  us  now  that  if  a  man  sin  wilfully  and  will 
not  repent,  it  is  better  that  a  minister  of  the 
church  should  slay  him,  for  then  his  blood  will 
make  atonement  for  his  soul."  She  ceased  to 
speak  until  she  had  thrust  Susannah  out  of 
her  door,  and  her  last  words  were  in  a  whis 
per  of  awesome  import.  "  Perhaps  a  woman's 
soul  can  be  saved  in  the  same  way." 

Susannah  was  out  again  in  the  cheerful 
busy  street.  She  made  haste  to  fulfil  the  one 
remaining  call  before  she  met  her  chaise  at 
the  hotel.  She  felt  that  her  last  word  was  due 
to  the  member  of  the  Danite  band  who  had 
saved  her  in  her  hour  of  need  and  who  had 
avenged  her  husband's  blood. 

To  each  of  those  who  had  made  sacrifice 
for  the  sect,  a  lot  of  land  in  the  best  part  of  the 
city  had  been  awarded.  Heber,  Danite  and 
apostle,  had  built  upon  his  lot,  and  there  she 
found  him  at  the  back  of  the  cottage  feeding 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  373 

a  mare  and  foal  which  were  tied  in  a  small  plot 
of  ragged  grass.  He  was  much  older  now 
than  when  she  had  first  seen  him;  daring  and 
danger  can  lengthen  time.  He  had  the  same 
indomitable  frankness  in  his  dark  eyes,  but  his 
face  was  hardened  and  fanaticism  was  stamped 
thereon.  It  was  a  homely  precinct,  with  uten 
sils  of  house  and  stable-work  lying  about.  The 
mare  was  drinking  from  a  bucket,  her  gentle 
head  so  near  his  shoulder  that  her  love  for 
him  was  easily  seen. 

"  I  am  going  away,"  Susannah  said.  "  I 
have  come  to  thank  you  for  the  last  time  for 
all  your  kindness  to  me  and  to  say  good 
bye." 

"  You  shall  not  go,"  he  said  harshly. 

It  was  the  echo  of  something  which  she 
had  heard  twice  before  this  morning.  This 
time  it  began  to  enter  her  mind  with  some 
sharpness. 

"Why  not?" 

"  If  you  saw  a  friend  hastening  to  destruc 
tion  would  you  not  stop  her?  It  is  well  known 
amongst  us  that  you  desire  to  go,  and  at 
the  meeting  of  the  presidency  last  night  the 
prophet  told  us  that  you  sought  to  apostatise. 
Go  home,  Sister  Halsey,  and  repent,  and  ob 
tain  forgiveness  from  the  Lord  and  from  his 
prophet  for  your  unbelief." 

She  was  able  to  stand  for  a  moment  quiet 
ly  and  watch  him  still  busy  watering  the  mare, 
admiring  the  skill  and  gentleness  with  which 
he  did  it,  thinking  sadly  enough  that  she 


374  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

would  never  see  this  remarkable  man  again, 
nor  know  to  what  the  mingled  fierceness  and 
gentleness  of  his  nature  would  grow.  Then 
she  offered  him  her  hand  in  farewell  without 
further  argument. 

He  shook  the  mare's  head  from  his  shoul 
der  and,  taking  her  hand,  held  it  in  an  iron 
grasp.  "  As  your  friend,  and  for  the  sake  of 
that  good  man,  your  husband,  I  beseech  you 
to  repent;  but  if  you  will  not  repent,  for  his 
sake  and  for  our  sakes,  because  we  have 
prayed  for  you,  you  shall  still  be  saved." 

Although  beginning  to  be  apprehensive  of 
some  coming  evil,  she  smiled,  and  even  ral 
lied  him  upon  one  of  the  new  doctrines  to 
which  Elvira  had  alluded. 

"  Do  you  believe  that  if  I  go  away  some 
one  else  will  have  to  be  baptized  over  again 
for  me?  " 

He  looked  at  her  with  the  same  steadfast 
glance.  "  It  could  do  no  good.  Such  salva 
tion  is  for  those  who  die  in  ignorance  of  the 
truth.  But  for  you,  who  have  been  baptized 
into  the  truth  and  have  fallen  away,  there  is 
no  hope  except  repentance  or  the  shedding 
of  blood." 

Over  the  low  paling  she  heard  the  neigh 
bours'  children  at  their  play.  Upon  the  other 
side  was  an  open  lot  across  which  she  saw 
the  passers  in  the  street.  She  withdrew  her 
hand  from  his  now,  but  with  a  sinking  at  heart 
which  did  not  appear  to  her  reasonable  be 
cause  the  surroundings  were  so  tranquil. 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  375 

He  let  her  go,  accompanying  her,  as  any 
gentleman  might,  to  the  gate  of  his  ground. 
As  he  opened  it  he  had  taken  something  from 
his  coat,  and  he  showed  it  to  her.  It  was  a 
knife,  very  bright  and  sharp.  Its  blade  when 
drawn  out  had  a  double  edge.  "  It  will  be 
better  for  you,"  he  said  mournfully,  "  to  die 
than  to  go  " ;  and  then  he  hid  the  thing  again 
and  went  back. 

This  time  the  idea  that  had  been  forcing 
itself  into  her  mind  took  possession.  For  a 
moment  all  her  strength  forsook  her;  she  held 
to  the  post  of  the  gate,  looking  after  him  as  he 
disappeared  up  the  narrow  passage  between 
the  paling  and  the  house,  and  then,  hurrying 
onward,  she  found  that  it  was  only  by  the 
greatest  effort  she  could  walk  with  outward 
composure. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

SUSANNAH  found  her  rooms  as  she  had  left 
them.  Emma  was  not  there  to  bid  her  good 
bye,  nor  did  any  messenger  wait  with  the 
money.  She  set  her  parcels  ready  for  the 
driver  to  lift  and  waited  until  after  the  hour, 
but  the  chaise  did  not  come. 

At  last  she  went  down  again  to  the  livery 
stable,  hoping,  as  against  vague  but  almost 
overpowering  fears,  that  mere  delay  was  the 
cause.  The  man  told  her  that  he  understood 
that  she  had  countermanded  her  order.  She 
gave  the  order  again,  but  now  he  said  that 
he  could  not  go  for  the  price  named,  and  when 
she  offered  a  larger  sum,  he  assured  her  that 
his  horses  were  all  out.  She  knew  now  that 
her  order  had  indeed  been  countermanded, 
and  by  an  authority  higher  than  hers.  She 
went  back  and  boldly  entered  the  prophet's 
public  office. 

There  were  five  men  in  the  office.  Joseph 
Smith  sat  in  an  elbow-chair  before  a  central 
table.  His  secretary,  a  middle-aged  man,  sat 
at  a  small  table  beside  him.  Two  of  the  lead 
ers  of  the  Church  happened  to  be  waiting  upon 
some  business,  and  a  fresh  convert  was  stand 
ing  with  them,  a  well-dressed  English  artisan 
376 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  377 

but  newly  arrived.  Susannah  walked  up  to 
the  table  and  addressed  Smith. 

"  Will  you  go  down  to  the  stable  and 
bring  me  up  a  travelling-chaise?  " 

Smith  rose  with  mechanical  politeness,  or 
perhaps  with  a  feint  of  politeness.  "  My  dear 
madam,"  he  expostulated,  "  I  must  say " 

"  I  am  sorry,"  she  replied,  "  that  I  have 
not  time  to  hear  what  you  would  like  to  say. 
I  must  ask  you  to  be  quick  and  get  me  the 
chaise." 

By  this  time  she  perceived  that  his  com 
panions  were  looking  at  her  with  ill-concealed 
curiosity  and  excitement,  which  proved  to  her 
that  she  was  a  marked  woman.  Her  bosom 
dilated  with  a  wilder  anger  as  she  looked  at 
Smith  expectantly  ;  he  returned  the  gaze 
sheepishly,  as  if  dazzled  by  the  audacity  of  her 
command.  His  face  after  last  night's  passion 
had  an  exhausted  look  like  that  of  a  man  re 
covering  from  an  illness. 

'*  You  also  owe  me  money,"  she  pro 
claimed  clearly.  "  Your  wife  borrowed  all 
that  I  had  of  the  money  I  earned  by  my 
school.  When  you  have  brought  the  chaise 
you  can  give  me  the  money." 

One  of  the  elders,  a  sleek  man,  thinking 
the  prophet  at  a  loss,  now  made  a  wily  com 
ment.  "  Has  Sister  Halsey  paid  anything  for 
living  in  the  House  this  month  back?  " 

At  the  insinuation  that  her  money  might 
be  justly  kept  in  payment  of  this  debt  if  she 
spurned  the  Church's  hospitality,  Susannah's 


3/8  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

heart  sank.  She  admitted  its  justice.  It  was 
part  of  her  character  to  admit  all  possible 
claim  against  her. 

The  sleek  elder,  following  his  advantage, 
spoke  again.  "  The  money  given  for  tuition 
was  given  because  of  the  ordinance  of  the 
prophet,  and  should  in  any  case  hardly  belong 
to  this  lady  if  she  is  apostate." 

Smith  had  the  tact  to  see  his  opportunity, 
and,  moreover,  it  hurt  him  sharply,  hurt  him 
far  more  than  it  hurt  Susannah,  to  hear  her 
right  to  the  privileges  of  the  place  called  in 
question,  to  hear  the  opprobrious  term  "  apos 
tate  "  cast  at  her.  There  were  unbelievers  in 
his  community  with  whose  hypocrisy  or  apos 
tasy  he  could  trifle,  but  he  still  had  his  faith 
and  his  inner  circle  of  affections.  Susannah, 
standing  friendless  and  penniless,  appealed  to 
all  that  was  sacred  in  the  memory  of  early 
days,  while  her  beauty,  her  courage,  her  un 
bounded  wrath,  stimulated  his  love  of  power. 
He  spoke  to  the  sleek  elder  in  what  was  com 
monly  called  the  prophet's  "  awful  voice,"  ris 
ing,  his  blue  eyes  becoming  black  in  their  au 
thoritative  flash. 

"  Our  sister  Susannah  Halsey,  because  of 
faithfulness  when  the  Church  was  yet  poor 
and  unknown,  and  because  of  the  faithfulness 
of  her  husband,  who  wears  the  martyr's  crown 
— our  sister  Susannah  Halsey,  I  say,  is  wel 
come  to  the  hospitality  of  the  Nauvoo  House 
as  long  as  she  has  remained  and  shall  remain; 
and  the  money  which  has  been  given  to  her 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  379 

for  the  school  shall  be  returned  to  her,  and 
more  shall  be  added  to  it,  for  she  laboured 
faithfully." 

He  had  left  behind  his  moment  of  sheep 
ish  distress;  with  the  return  of  his  formal 
phrases  he  assumed  full  prophetical  state  and 
escorted  Susannah  out  of  the  office  with  a 
manner  of  pompous  deference.  When  they 
two  stood  alone  together  Susannah  was  aware 
that,  although  circumstances  had  not  altered 
in  the  slightest,  although  she  had  just  as  much 
reason  for  extreme  anger  as  a  minute  before, 
yet  she  could  not  summon  the  same  haughty 
air  of  command. 

"  Will  you  get  me  the  chaise  and  the 
money  and  let  me  go?  " 

"  But  in  Carthage,"  he  asked  kindly,  "  who 
will  attend  to  your  wants  there  and  protect 
you?  I  guess,  sister,  you  haven't  much  no 
tion  how  difficult  a  lady  like  yourself  travel 
ling  alone  might  find  it  to  get  along.  It  isn't 
among  the  Gentiles  as  with  the  Saints,  where 
brotherly-kindness  is  the  rule.  I  guess  you'd 
better  go  back  to  your  room  and  think  it  over 
a  day  or  two  longer,"  he  said  soothingly. 
"  I'd  be  very  glad  to  take  you  and  Emma 
out  for  a  ride  this  afternoon  if  you'd  be  will 
ing  to  go " 

"  Be  quiet."  Her  words  fell  sharp  and 
quick  in  the  midst  of  his  gentle  tones.  "  Make 
arrangements  at  once  for  me  to  go  peace 
ably,  or  I  will  go  out,  if  need  be,  to  the  middle 
of  the  Square  and  proclaim  my  wrongs,  so 


380  THE   MORMON   PROPHET. 

that  every  woman  and  child  in  Nauvoo  shall 
know  what  comes  of  trusting  to  you." 

She  had  chosen  her  threat  carefully.  She 
knew  well  that  he  understood  the  force  of 
object  lessons,  and  that  to  have  even  a  sus 
picion  against  his  kindness  bred  in  the  minds 
of  the  children  would  be  exquisite  pain  to 
him. 

'  You  know  that  I  wouldn't  like  that,  Sis 
ter  Halsey;  but  when  you  come  to  think  of 
it  you'll  see  that  it  wouldn't  serve  your  turn 
neither.  It  would  only  need  for  a  few  of  us 
to  say  you  was  crazy  and  the  whole  town  'ud 
see  "the  more  reason  for  not  letting  you  go. 
Moreover,  it  would  be  a  monstrous  injustice 
to  me.  When  have  I  failed  to  do  anything 
that  I  ever  promised  you?  Did  I  ever  promise 
to  let  you  apostatise?  I  guess,  Sister  Halsey, 
that  you're  excited,  and  if  you  just  think  over 
things  for  a  day  or  two  you  would  see  that 
we're  not  so  bad  as  you  think.  But,  anyway, 
this  ain't  just  the  place  for  us  to  have  a  talk 
together." 

When  Smith  moved  on  to  lead  her  back 
to  her  own  rooms,  she  followed  quietly  until 
they  stood  together  in  her  parlour,  the  scene 
of  their  last  quarrel. 

"  And  now,"  said  Susannah,  "  you  under 
stand  very  well  that  it  is  no  sudden  intention 
of  mine  to  go,  that  it  is  my  irrevocable  de 
cision.  I  have  this  morning  had  my  very  life 
threatened;  and  I  see  now  that  unless  you 
command  that  it  should  be  respected  I  should 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  381 

very  possibly  be  in  danger  if  I  went  away 
alone.  You  have  offered  again  and  again  to 
drive  me  in  your  carriage;  I  will  accept  the 
offer  now.  Get  out  your  own  horses,  and 
drive  me  yourself  to  Carthage." 

She  saw  a  look  of  faint  pleasure  steal  over 
his  face.  He  liked  to  stand  there  in  the  quiet 
room  listening  while  she  spoke  with  some  evi 
dence  of  trust.  The  pleasure  faded  into  em 
barrassment,  but  she  had  seen  it. 

"  You  have  a  good  and  a  bad  nature  strug 
gling  within  you,  Mr.  Smith.  By  all  that  we 
have  suffered,  you  and  I,  since  the  day  that 
by  some  mysterious  power  you  forced  me  to 
come  to  your  baptism  "  (she  stammered  in  her 
eagerness),  "  by  all  that  we  have  suffered,  by 
that  sympathy  which  we  have  at  times  felt 
for  one  another,  assert  yourself  now.  Do  this 
one  right  thing  for  me,  and  in  all  the  future  I 
will  try  to  remember  only  the  good  in  your 
life  and  not  the  bad." 

But  he  stood  so  long  still  looking  stead 
fastly  before  him  that  she  began  to  fear  that, 
unnerved  by  his  last  night's  fit  of  fury,  he  was 
ready  to  pass  into  one  of  those  visionary 
trances  which  had  been  common  in  his  young 
er  days. 

She  touched  the  sleeve  of  his  coat.  "  I 
do  not  know  if  Mr.  Heber's  threat  could  be 
serious,  but  it  frightened  me,  and  I  know  that 
I  shall  be  safe  on  the  rpad  to  Carthage  if  you 
take  me.  Go,  get  your  horses  and  take  me 
away  yourself." 


382  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

He  looked  at  her  pitifully,  slipping  into 
the  style  of  his  religious  moods.  "  Thou  say- 
est  truly,  sister,  that  there  is  none  but  I  who 
could  do  this  thing,  for  since  in  mine  anger 
last  night,  fearing  that  I  had  no  strength  of 
my  own  to  keep  thee  by  me,  I  denounced  thee 
to  the  council,  there  is  no  safety  for  thy  life 
beyond  the  boundary  of  Nauvoo."  He 
winced  here,  as  if  seeing  what  he  suggested. 

Noting  how  the  idea  of  her  violent  death 
wrung  his  heart,  she  went  on  pleading  with 
him.  She  quoted  the  exalted  character  of  his 
early  visions,  reminding  him  of  the  hour  when 
the  angel  had  shown  him  the  dark  furnace  of 
temptations  through  which  he  must  pass.  At 
this  he  was  visibly  stirred;  the  angelic  vision 
of  warning  seemed  to  be  again  before  his  eyes. 
He  roused  himself,  speaking  in  that  tone  of 
voice  in  which,  when  he  rarely  used  it,  she 
recognised  his  best  spirit.  "  Sister,  thou  hast 
always  been  to  me  as  Isaac  to  Abraham;  for 
in  the  beginning  when  I  was  poor  and  alone 
and  had  nought  in  the  world  save  the  revela 
tion  which  the  Lord  had  given,  and  was 
tempted  to  doubt,  then  I  saw  thee  and  prayed 
that  thou  shouldst  be  given  me  for  a  sign;  and 
behold  when  I  put  forth  my  whole  strength 
to  desire  thee,  thou  didst  come  as  a  moth  to 
the  light,  burning  thy  beautiful  wings  of  youth 
and  joy.  But  I  said,  '  It  is  well,  for  that  which 
she  has  lost  shall  be-  restored  to  her  with 
usury,'  and  I  knew  in  my  heart  that  our  broth 
er  Angel  Halsey  would  not  live  long,  and  that 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  383 

thou  wouldst  forget  thy  sorrow  for  him.  But 
I  swear  unto  thee  that  thou  hast  never  been 
to  me  as  other  women,  but,  as  I  said  unto  thee 
just  now,  like  the  voice  of  the  angel." 

She  never  knew  how  far  he  was  entirely 
under  his  own  control  when  the  tendency  to 
a  state  of  trance  was  upon  him,  but  she  was 
anxious  to  take  advantage  of  the  better  mood. 

She  said,  "  And  now  what  is  required  of 
you  is  that  you  should  give  me  up.  No  bless 
ing  "  (she  spoke  strongly),  "  no  blessing  can 
come  to  you  or  to  your  people  until  you  do 
this  one  right  thing." 

He  was  again  looking  not  at  her  but  at 
the  blank  space  of  the  shadowed  wall,  and  as 
if  the  wall  was  not  there  and  his  look  went 
far  beyond  it. 

"  You  have  loosened  the  bloodhounds  and 
set  them  on  my  track,"  she  cried. 

He  did  not  speak. 

''  You — you  alone  will  be  guilty  of  my 
murder,  for,  I  tell  you,  if  you  do  not  take  me, 
I  will  go  alone  and  meet  my  death." 

His  head  sank  upon  his  breast  with  a 
groan  such  as  a  dumb  creature  in  the  utmost 
pain  might  give.  Almost  immediately,  to  her 
surprise,  he  went  out. 

She  was  left  alone.  She  was  under  the  im 
pression  that  Smith  had  gone  to  do  her  bid 
ding,  but  she  could  not  be  sure.  No  faith  in 
angelic  vision,  no  spell  of  psychic  warfare,  re 
lieved  the  situation  for  her.  The  external  evi 
dences  of  some  crisis  which  he  had  undergone 


384  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

only  produced  in  her  repulsion.  Now,  as  ever 
since  the  temporary  delusion  that  accompa 
nied  her  baptism,  Susannah  endeavoured  to 
possess  her  soul  free  from  that  sense  of  touch 
with  mysterious  powers  which  had  worked 
such  havoc  with  the  sanity  of  the  members  of 
this  sect. 

From  the  window  she  saw  the  prophet 
crossing  the  road  in  the  direction  of  his  sta 
bles.  He  went,  it  was  true,  with  slow,  dreamy 
gait,  but  steadily.  Strange  mixture  that  he 
was  of  sanity  and  shrewdness,  mysticism  and 
grosser  evil,  he  was  at  that  moment  her  only 
star  of  hope.  She  paced  the  room  unable  to 
forecast  the  happenings  of  the  next  hour,  yet 
supposing  that  her  very  life  depended  upon 
its  content.  The  sudden  joy  that  had  come 
to  her  this  morning  joined  with  her  fear,  and 
produced  panic  of  heart. 

She  computed  the  time  it  might  take  to 
harness  the  gay  steeds,  and  tried  to  give  the 
rein  of  her  expectation  the  utmost  length.  To 
her  delight  she  saw  the  prophet's  horses  and 
the  light  vehicle  he  drove  upon  long  journeys 
emerge  into  the  square.  A  servant  led  them 
up  and  down.  At  length  she  saw  Smith  re 
turning,  not  with  hasty  steps,  but  as  if  against 
his  will,  walking  again  through  the  crowded 
place  like  a  man  in  a  dream.  Men  greeted 
him,  but  for  once  he  gave  no  sign  of  seeing 
them.  She  heard  his  footstep  on  the  stair. 
When  he  reached  her  door  he  almost  fell 
against  it  in  the  opening,  and  staggered  as 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  385 

he  entered  the  room  as  if  his  self-control  had 
just  lasted  so  far.  He  knelt  down  by  one  of 
the  fashionable  marble-topped  tables  with 
which  he  had  graced  her  room,  and,  like  an 
ill-conditioned  soul,  burst  into  tears  and 
broken  complaints. 

"  But  I  cannot  do  it,"  he  gasped.  "  I  can 
not." 

In  her  hour  of  miserable  waiting  Susannah 
had  thought  of  many  things  that  might  occur, 
and  nerved  herself  to  meet  them,  but  this  dis 
temper  of  soul,  this  failure  of  will  in  the  man 
who  had  been  undaunted  through  years  of 
persecuting  torture,  was  so  wholly  unexpected 
that  she  stood  aghast. 

He  clenched  his  hands  as  they  lay  helpless 
on  the  white  table.  "  O  Lord!  "  he  cried,  and 
she  could  not  tell  from  the  tone  whether  the 
words  were  oath  or  prayer.  "  O  Lord,  I  can 
not  let  her  go."  His  thick  tears  muffled  his 
voice,  and  still  again  and  again  during  the 
paroxysm  she  caught  the  words  as  if  reiter 
ated  in  choking  anger,  "  O  Lord,  I  cannot." 

His  tears,  however  evil  their  source,  laid 
hold  of  her  woman's  sensibility;  she  was  no 
longer  a  critical  observer.  She  no  longer  set 
aside  his  strange  inward  conflict  as  a  delusion 
of  madness.  She  participated  in  his  conscious 
ness  so  far  as  to  think  that  she  was  actually 
witnessing  the  despair  of  a  soul  repulsing  an 
opportunity  of  righteousness,  and  yet  not  so 
far  dead  as  not  to  know  its  worth.  She  tried 
to  speak,  but  found  herself,  as  at  other  times, 


386  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

so  affected  by  his  overlapping  emotion  that 
she  was  trembling  and  had  neither  courage 
nor  voice. 

Smith  lifted  his  head,  looking  with  terror 
into  vacant  spaces  of  the  dim  room,  as  if  fol 
lowing  with  his  eyes  some  menacing  form. 
He  whined  piteously.  "  I  have  purposed  to 
be  faithful  ";  he  put  up  his  hand  as  if  to  ward 
off  a  blow.  "  Thou  knowest!  thou  knowest!  " 
His  voice  was  like  a  whispering  shriek.  The 
terror  of  his  face  and  gestures  was  appalling 
to  see. 

Susannah  was  infected  with  fear  of  an  ap 
parition  so  evidently  visible  to  him.  Her  mind 
swung,  as  it  were,  out  of  material  limitations. 
She  was  overcome  with  the  belief  that  a  third 
person  was  with  them,  and  her  heart  went  out 
in  gratitude  to  that  mysterious  other  for  tak 
ing  her  part. 

But  the  gilt  clock  on  the  marble  mantel 
shelf  ticked  on;  Susannah  felt  herself  aware 
that  the  person  of  Smith's  vision  was  with 
drawing,  repulsed.  She  almost  cried  aloud  to 
the  invisible,  but  checked  the  prayer,  holding 
on,  as  it  were,  to  her  own  sanity  with  both 
hands.  Smith  writhed  continually,  moaning. 

When  at  length  she  succeeded  in  telling 
him  faintly  that  if  he  refused  this  opportunity 
he  must  fall  lower  and  lower  and  lose  even  the 
desire  for  good,  she  found  that  her  words  had 
no  longer  any  power  to  influence.  He  had 
passed  beyond  into  some  region  of  outer  dark 
ness,  where  the  things  of  sense  did  not  seem 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  387 

to  penetrate,  and  where,  if  the  actions  of  his 
body  were  the  expression  of  his  soul,  there 
was  literally  "  wailing  and  gnashing  of 
teeth." 

But  Susannah  hovered  over  him,  not  so 
much  angry  as  pitiful,  her  own  agony  of  mere 
physical  sympathy  increasing.  Terrified  to 
be  near  him,  too  compassionate  to  withdraw, 
she  watched  till  at  last  the  veins  in  his  hands 
and  his  face  became  swollen  and  knotted.  She 
was  unwilling  to  lose  the  hope  of  her  sole  in 
fluence  over  him,  and  yet  was  about  to  call 
for  help,  when  almost  suddenly  he  seemed  to 
become  conscious  of  his  surroundings  again 
and  shake  himself  free  from  the  distress. 

In  a  little  while  he  was  sitting  on  one  of 
the  chairs,  wiping  his  purple  face  and  swollen 
eyes  with  the  large  silken  pocket-handkerchief 
that  was  one  of  the  signs  of  his  recent  opu 
lence.  She  saw  the  large  ring  on  his  swollen 
finger  gradually  loosen,  and  the  hand  return 
to  its  normal  shape  and  colour.  She  felt  con 
vinced  that  his  pulses  had  gone  back  to  their 
common  flow,  because  his  whole  volition  had 
returned  peacefully  to  its  low  ambitions  and 
self-indulgence.  She  knew  instinctively  that 
it  was  not  thus  opulent  and  fierce  that  he 
would  have  looked  had  he  come  out  on  the 
other  side  of  his  temptation.  She  stood,  out 
wardly  patient,  waiting  helpless  till  he  should 
speak. 

"  Sit  down,  sister,"  he  panted  condescend 
ingly.  He  was  fanning  himself  with  the  hand- 


388  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

kerchief  now,  as  a  man  might  who  felt  injured 
by  undue  heat  in  the  atmosphere. 

Her  refusal  was  concise  and  severe. 

He  looked  at  her  boldly,  with  no  appre 
hension  now  in  his  eyes,  not  even  the  former 
conciliatory  desire  to  receive  her  with  fair 
words.  She  felt  appalled.  Could  it  be  that 
his  angel  in  deserting  him  had  deserted  her? 
Was  there  a  devil  strong  enough  to  give  her 
to  him?  It  was  perhaps  only  his  belief  which 
overshadowed  hers,  it  was  perhaps  only,  as 
she  thought,  a  sickness  of  nerve,  but  the  im 
pression  that  unseen  personalities  had  been 
contending  here  was  stronger  upon  her  even 
than  her  anger  and  fear. 

Smith  got  up  and  went  to  the  window. 
His  horses  and  buggy  were  still  parading. 

"  I  guess  I've  changed  my  mind,"  he  said. 
He  did  not  care,  it  seemed,  to  delude  her,  but 
he  must  still  deceive  himself.  "  I  couldn't 
go  against  the  voice  of  the  church  council 
•to  that  extent;  it  wouldn't  be  safe  for  you 
or  me;  and  besides,  'tisn't  the  Lord's  will  that 
you  should  go." 

She  recoiled,  looking  at  him  in  steady  re 
proach. 

"  Well,  as  I  said  before,  I  guess  you  can 
think  it  over  for  a  few  days."  This  was  his 
easy  answer  to  her  look,  and  he  went  out, 
slamming  the  door. 


CHAPTER   V. 

WHEN  that  day  began  to  wane  Susannah 
was  still  sitting  in  the  empty  curtained  room. 
No  plan  which  offered  even  a  fair  hope  of 
escape  had  occurred  to  her  mind.  Although 
in  pictures  of  adventure  her  imagination  had 
been  fertile,  throwing  out  suggestions  unbid 
den,  her  judgment  would  have  none  of  them. 
No  one  disturbed  her.  She  was  left  in  isola 
tion,  a  prey  to  dismal  thoughts. 

She  saw  the  happy  crowds  dispersing  in 
the  Square  from  evening  recreation.  There 
was  nothing  to  hinder  her  from  joining  them. 
Sometimes  her  sense  of  imprisonment  seemed 
only  a  morbid  dream,  for  on  all  sides  of  the 
fair  white  city  there  was  open  ingress  and 
egress  for  the  faithful  and  the  stranger.  It 
was  hard  to  believe  that  at  wharfs  and  on  the 
high  roads  fanatics  watched  for  her,  and  yet 
after  Smith's  reluctant  avowal  she  dare  not 
doubt  it. 

She  saw  evening  fade  over  the  broad  semi 
circle  of  the  river,  over  the  multitude  of  cheer 
ful  homes  that  sloped  to  its  edge.  When 
darkness  came  she  found  herself  more  than 
ever  pressed  and  tormented  by  the  grim 
shapes  of  fear  and  remorse  and  despair.  She 

389 


390  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

had  terrible  reason  to  fear,  and  felt  as  never 
before  that  she  had  brought  this  horrid  situa 
tion  upon  herself  by  joining  and  rejoining  the 
prophet's  following.  She  had  no  hope  now 
that  Smith  would  relent. 

Beyond  the  city,  eastward  toward  the  sun- 
rising,  lay  the  home  of  Ephraim's  friendship, 
whither  in  the  morning  she  had  thought  to 
bend  her  steps.  She  saw  it  through  the  glad 
glamour  of  her  recent  knowledge  that  he  had 
not  neglected  her  letters.  All  her  desires  fled 
to  this  thought  of  his  friendship,  like  birds  fly 
ing  home.  All  her  fancies  clustered  round  it, 
like  climbing  flowers  that  caress  and  kiss  the 
object  they  enfold  when  some  rude  wind  dis 
turbs.  Whenever  she  withdrew  her  mind  from 
its  contemplation,  the  circumstances  on  which 
she  looked  were  the  more  revolting. 

Ever  since  Smith  left  she  had  been  more 
or  less  under  the  impression  that  an  unseen 
person  there  in  that  very  room  had  contended 
with  him.  Again  and  again  she  had  swept  it 
aside  as  an  infectious  madness  that  she  was 
catching  from  the  fanatics  about  her,  but  it 
had  recurred;  and  now  as,  not  caring  to  light 
her  lamps,  she  sat  alone  in  the  darkness  by  the 
very  table  against  which  Smith  had  writhed 
and  wailed,  she  felt  pressed  upon  by  a  spiritual 
life  external  to  her  own. 

Within  her  soul  from  some  unknown 
depth  the  word  arose  distinctly  as  if  spoken, 
"  Pray.  You  cannot  save  yourself.  Pray." 

"  I  am  going  mad."    Susannah  whispered 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  391 

the  words  audibly.  It  was  a  comfort  to  her 
even  to  hear  her  own  voice.  But  when  her 
whisper  was  past  she  again  listened  involun 
tarily. 

The  words  within  her  rose  again.  "  Even 
so.  Pray.  If  you  are  going  mad,  you  have 
the  more  need." 

Susannah  had  come  to  class  all  search  for 
definite  and  material  answer  to  prayer  as  one 
of  the  superstitions  of  false  religion.  In  this 
category  stood  also  the  hearing  of  voices  and 
obedience  to  monitions  from  the  unseen. 
Now  she  reproached  herself  because  she  could 
not  immediately  silence  this  fancy  of  disturbed 
nerves. 

Long  sad  thoughts  of  all  her  reasons 
against  prayer,  strongest  among  them  the  fu 
tility  of  her  husband's  prayers,  passed  through 
her  mind  with  their  train  of  haunting  memo 
ries,  but  in  the  cessation  from  argument  which 
these  pictures  of  the  past  produced,  the  words 
arose  again  clearly  within  her  soul,  like  air 
drops  rising  from  the  depths  of  a  well  and 
expanding  into  momentary  iridescence  on  the 
surface,  "  Pray  for  help.  If  you  have  no  faith 
in  God's  arm,  you  have  the  more  need  to 
seek  it." 

Stung  by  the  fear  that  she  was  losing  her 
mind,  she  rose  as  she  would  have  faced  a 
human  antagonist. 

"  God's  arm!  "  she  said  aloud,  "  my  hus 
band  prayed  such  prayers,  but  I  will  ask  noth 
ing  till  I  see  his  request  fulfilled.'3 
26 


3Q2  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

She  spoke  the  quick  words  with  an  almost 
reckless  sense  of  experiment.  Her  thought 
was  that  before  she  could  honestly  think  of 
such  prayer  she  must  see  some  fruit  of  An 
gel's  petitions  for  this  man  Smith  and  for  her 
own  safety. 

"  Save  Smith  from  further  degradation," 
she  said,  her  breath  coming  sharply.  "  Save 
me  now,  if  that  sort  of  prayer  is  right.  Do 
this  in  answer  to  my  husband's  prayers.  Re 
member  his  prayers." 

She  had  begun  recklessly,  supposing  that 
she  was  contending  only  with  her  own  sick 
fancy;  she  was  astonished  that  a  few  swift  mo 
ments  had  involved  her  in  an  increasing  sense 
of  personal  contact,  and  she  became  awed  by 
the  strength  of  the  encounter. 

"  My  husband  prayed  for  my  safety,"  she 
repeated  with  softened  attitude;  then,  as  if 
seeking  for  the  protection  which  had  died  with 
him,  she  repeated  again  and  again,  "  Remem 
ber  his  prayers." 

She  left  the  challenge  at  last  apparently  to 
die  where  she  had  breathed  it  in  the  dark  cold 
air  of  her  lonely  room.  The  tension  of  her 
mind  relaxed. 

She  sat  down  again,  not  knowing  whether 
anything  had  occurred,  but  a  crisis  in  the  mor 
bid  working  of  her  strained  nerves  had  in  some 
way  relieved  her. 

She  was  curiously  unable  to  go  back  to 
her  former  agonised  anxieties.  Natural  fa 
tigue,  even  sleepiness,  came  over  her,  but 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  393 

not  her  fears,  even  though  she  wooed 
them. 

"  Ah,  well,"  she  said  within  herself,  "  it  is 
quite  true  that  it  is  useless  to  consider  when 
I  can  give  myself  no  help." 

The  habits  of  the  Saints  were  early.  When 
she  heard  silence  fall  upon  the  great  house 
she  went  into  her  sleeping-room  and  lay  down 
upon  the  bed.  Sleep  came  quickly. 

With  the  early  dawn  she  opened  her  eyes. 
In  the  first  moments  of  half-awaked  conscious 
ness  she  was  aware  that  one  thought  lay  alone 
in  the  empty  horizon  of  her  mind,  like  a  trace 
left  by  a  dream  that  had  passed,  as  a  wisp  of 
cloud  may  be  left  in  an  empty  sky. 

This  thought  was  that  she  would  at  once 
go  down  to  the  river  bank  upon  the  south 
west  of  the  town. 

When  other  thoughts  awoke  and  crowded 
within  her  ken  this  thought  appeared  foolish, 
and  still  more  so  the  strong  influence  it  had 
left  upon  her  will,  for  in  the  momentum  of 
this  influence  she  had  risen  without  debating 
the  point. 

She  was  not  aware  that  she  had  moved 
in  her  sleep  or  dreamed.  She  was  greatly  re 
freshed  and  again  unreasonably  light-hearted. 
She  opened  her  shutters  and  saw  that  the 
dawn  was  calm  and  fair.  As  yet  the  sleeping 
town  had  scarcely  stirred. 

"  It  is  better  to  go  out  than  to  stay  in," 
she  said  to  herself  as  she  remembered  that  this 
hour  would  be  her  one  chance  of  taking  air 


394 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 


and  exercise  unobserved.  She  heard  the  main 
door  of  the  house  open  and,  looking  over  the 
banister,  saw  a  slattern  with  bucket  and  mop 
passing  into  some  back  passage.  She  went 
lightly  down  and  out  into  the  fresh  frosty  air. 

What  had  that  dream  been  concerning  the 
river  bank  on  the  south-western  side?  She 
could  not  recall  it,  nor  had  she  ever  explored 
the  streets  of  white  wooden  villas  and  cottages 
that  lay  upon  that  side.  She  went  thither 
now.  There  was  no  reason  why  she  should 
not  go,  no  reason  to  go  elsewhere.  It  was 
a  pleasant  walk.  When  she  had  passed  the 
last  house,  the  bank  sloped  in  open  uncared- 
for  grass  where  cows  were  grazing.  Only  here 
and  there  she  had  seen  a  house-door  open, 
and  as  yet  in  this  place  no  one  was  abroad 
except  a  boy  who  was  playing  idly  in  a  boat, 
which  was  drawn  half  up  on  the  muddy  bank. 

The  broad  river,  milk-white  under  a  dap 
pled  sky,  stretched  south  and  west.  The 
other  side  was  dim  and  blue  in  the  faint  va 
pour  of  the  relaxing  frost.  The  air  was  sweet 
and  still.  The  sunbeams,  imprisoned  in  east 
ern  vapour,  shone  through  the  white  veil  with 
soft  glow  that  cast  no  shadow  but  comforted 
the  earth  with  hope. 

Susannah  had  a  further  thought  in  her 
mind  now,  but  she  felt  no  haste  or  impatience 
of  excitement. 

The  boy  was  of  an  active,  restless  disposi 
tion  or  he  would  hardly  have  been  out  so 
early.  Lithe  and  idle,  he  sat  see-sawing  in  the 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  395 

floating  end  of  the  boat,  uncertain  how  to 
amuse  himself.  He  returned  Susannah's 
greeting  with  a  lively  flow  of  talk. 

"  You  don't  know  how  to  row,"  said  Su 
sannah. 

She  showed  no  eagerness,  for  she  felt  none. 
The  hope  she  had  just  formed  was  most  un 
certain,  for  it  appeared  not  at  all  likely  that 
she  could  escape  in  this  way  without  being 
molested. 

"  I  bet  I  can  row,"  said  the  boy,  "  as  well 
as  any  man  in  town." 

"  That  isn't  saying  much,"  said  Susannah. 
"  The  men  about  here  have  very  few  boats, 
and  they  are  most  of  them  afraid  to  go  on  any 
thing  smaller  than  the  steamer." 

"  I  could  row  t'other  side  and  back," 
bragged  the  boy.  "  I  could  row  t'other  side 
and  back  three  times  in  the  day." 

"  You  couldn't." 

"  I  couldn't!    What  will  you  bet?  " 

"  I  suppose  your  father  wouldn't  allow  you 
to  go,  anyway." 

He  was  a  fresh-faced,  mischievous,  eager 
young  rascal,  and  he  found  Susannah's  man 
ner  pleasant  and  provoking. 

"  Will  you  lay  five  dollars  on  it?  "  he  cried. 
"  Pap  is  away  down  to  Quincy.  If  you'll  lay 
five  dollars  on  it  I'll  do  it." 

"  But  I  won't." 

The  gambling  spirit  of  the  young  pioneer 
was  aroused. 

"  What  will  you  lay  on  it,  then?  " 


396  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

"  I  don't  believe  you  could  row  once  to 
the  other  side." 

He  bragged  loudly  and  with  much  exag 
geration  of  what  he  had  done  and  what  he 
could  do,  and  began  pushing  off  the  boat  to 
show  her  his  speed. 

The  boat  was  a  rude  craft,  unpainted,  flat- 
bottomed,  but  light  enough,  and  not  badly 
formed  for  speed.  Susannah  stepped  into  it 
without  much  hope,  scarcely  caring  what  she 
did,  but  still  provoking  the  young  boatman 
to  attempt  the  crossing. 

"  I  shan't  give  you  any  money,"  she  said, 
"  but  you  can  row  me  a  bit  if  you  like  till  I 
see  how  fast  you  can  go.  You  don't  under 
stand  the  currents,  I  am  sure." 

"  Currents!  "  said  the  boy,  "  I  guess  I  un 
derstand  all  there  is  to  know  about  them." 

Talking  thus  in  light  banter,  they  actual 
ly  proceeded  out  on  to  the  bosom  of  the  milky 
flood  without  hearing  any  cry  from  the  shore 
or  seeing  any  one  who  took  note  of  their  de 
parture.  The  pellucid  and  comforting  light  of 
the  blinded  sun  grew  warmer;  the  hum  of  in 
dustry  in  the  town  behind  rose  cheerfully  upon 
the  quiet  air,  and  as  the  calling  of  the  April 
bluebird  in  the  fields  grew  more  faint,  the 
splash  of  the  oars  and  the  whirr  of  the  gray 
water-fowl  began  to  be  accompanied  by  a  low 
distant  sound  as  of  a  watermill. 

"  It's  the  excursion  steamer,"  said  the  boy. 
"  We'll  get  in  her  waves  and  you'll  be  scared. 
Ladies  is  always  scared  of  waves." 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  397 

She  asked  if  the  steam-boat  would  stop 
at  the  Nauvoo  wharf,  but  he  explained,  with 
the  knowledge  that  boys  are  apt  to  have  of 
such  details,  that  this  steamer  was  coming 
from  Fort  Madison,  and  would  keep  to  the 
Missouri  side,  that  he  had  heard  that  there 
were  some  State  officials  on  board  her,  escort 
ing  the  Governor  of  Kentucky,  who  was  pros 
pecting  for  a  Land  Company. 

They  saw  the  white  hulk  of  the  steam-boat 
looming  upon  the  water  to  the  north.  Her 
side  paddle-wheels  churned  the  flood.  A 
strong  purpose  took  possession  of  Susannah; 
she  knew  what  she  was  going  to  do. 

She  said  to  the  boy,  "  No  one  could  stop 
a  steamer  when  she  once  starts  until  she  gets 
to  her  next  port." 

"  I  bet  the  engineman  could  stop  her  just 
as  easy  as  that."  The  boy  backed  water  with 
his  oars  suddenly. 

"  But  no  one  on  the  river  could  make  him 
stop  and  get  aboard." 

"  Yes,  they  could.  My  pap  stopped  one 
once.  We  was  living  down  near  Cairo,  but 
not  near  a  wharf." 

"  How  did  he  do  it?  "  she  asked,  and  her 
interest  was  intense. 

"  Why,  you  just  put  up  your  hands  like  a 
trumpet  and  yell  through  them  as  loud  as  you 
can,  and  you  go  on  waving  and  hollering. 
My  pap  said  the  best  plan  was  to  call  out 
'  Runaway  nigger!  Large  reward! '  They'd 
be  sure  to  stop  then  to  know  all  about  it,  and 


398  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

when  they'd  once  stopped  they  don't  mind 
your  clambering  up,  if  you  can  pay  the  fare." 

Susannah  felt  herself  wholly  unequal  to 
the  loud  task  described. 

"  They  would  never  stop  for  you,"  she 
said.  '  You  are  only  a  boy,  and  they  would 
know  'twas  only  mischief." 

His  reply  was  as  before.  He  would  lay 
five  dollars  on  it  that  he  could  stop  the  boat. 

She  incited  him  to  do  this  thing  also. 
What  faculty  of  caution  the  boy  possessed  was 
not  as  yet  developed;  he  left  the  care  for  con 
sequences  to  the  sedate  lady  in  the  stern,  and 
forgetting  his  quest  of  the  Missouri  shore,  lay 
in  the  path  of  the  steam-boat  and  howled  un 
musically,  and  marred  the  peace  of  the  placid 
morning  by  shouting  concerning  a  runaway 
slave  and  a  fabulous  reward  that  was  offered 
for  him  taken  alive  or  dead. 

It  is  probable  that  what  he  said  never 
rightly  reached  the  ears  of  the  men  on 
the  deck,  but  that  they  regarded  the  lady 
as  a  possible  passenger;  the  engine  was 
stopped. 

"  We'd  better  cut  now  as  fast  as  we  can," 
said  the  boy,  somewhat  frightened.  He  seized 
his  oars  excitedly.  "  Or  shall  I  tell  them  a 
big  yarn  about  the  nigger?  " 

They  were  but  slightly  to  one  side.  The 
prow  of  the  steam-boat,  which  drew  but  little 
water,  had  already  passed  below  them.  A 
small  crowd  on  the  vessel's  deck  leaned  over 
the  paddle-box.  Standing  up  in  the  boat,  Su- 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  399 

sannah  searched  the  faces  of  the  men  look 
ing  down.  They  all  looked  at  her. 

She  singled  out  the  captain  by  some  sign 
in  his  dress,  and  pleaded  urgent  necessity  for 
travelling  with  him. 

"  Look  here,"  said  the  boy,  looking  up  at 
her  from  beneath,  "  I  call  that  a  low-down, 
mean  sort  of  thing  to  do.  Why  didn't  you  tell 
me  square?  I'd  have  brought  you  if  you 
wanted  to  come." 

She  pleaded  with  the  boy  too.  "  It  was 
better  for  you  not  to  know  my  secrets.  If 
they  ask  you  in  the  city  you  can  say  that  you 
didn't  know." 

A  dozen  hands  were  held  out  to  help  her 
to  climb  the  ladder  on  the  shelving  pad 
dle-box.  "  Keep  off,"  they  cried  to  the 
boy,  and  he  swung  away  from  the  churning 
wheel. 

Susannah  stood  upon  the  deck  pale  and 
trembling.  The  magnitude  of  the  step  came 
upon  her,  and  she  was  beset  by  natural  timid 
ity  and  the  painfulness  of  her  dependence. 
The  men  who  stood  around  her  with  the  right 
to  question  were  not  of  a  low  class.  The  cap 
tain,  brawny  and  respectable,  spoke  for  the 
group.  Behind  him  was  a  short  but  dignified 
gray-haired  gentleman  whom  she  took  to  be 
the  present  or  former  Governor  of  the  State 
of  Kentucky,  of  whom  the  boy  had  spoken. 
With  him  were  several  men  who  appeared  to 
have  some  fair  title  to  gentility.  Other  pas 
sengers  pressed  in  an  outer  circle. 


400  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

She  would  fain  have  explained  herself 
more  privately,  but  she  could  not  endure  to 
accept  the  privileges  of  the  boat  without  ex 
plaining  first  that  she  was  not  able  to  pay 
for  them.  "  Gentlemen,  I  have  no  money.  I 
am  entirely  unprotected.  I  have  escaped  in 
fear  of  my  life  from  Nauvoo." 

She  spoke  instinctively,  only  desiring  to 
set  herself  right,  but  when  the  words  were 
said  she  knew  that  she  had  helped  to  heap 
opprobrium  on  the  sect  in  whose  cause  so 
short  a  time  ago  she  would  have  died.  The 
passengers  were  Missourians,  as  was  the  cap 
tain.  Among  them  went  a  whisper  of  chival 
rous  pity  for  her  and  of  execration  for  the 
prophet  and  his  followers. 

"  Madam,"  said  the  captain,  "  any  lady  as 
is  escaping  from  those  devils  has  the  freedom 
of  this  boat,  and  no  ticket  required,  as  long 
as  I'm  in  command.  Isn't  that  so?  "  he  asked 
of  the  crowd. 

The  murmur  broke  into  an  open  chorus 
of  enthusiastic  speech. 

Wild  and  deep  as  was  her  panting  anger 
against  Smith's  oppression,  Susannah  shrank. 
The  thought  of  profiting  by  this  spirit  of  parti 
san  hatred  scorched  her  heart. 

The  Kentucky  Governor,  a  dapper  man, 
who  had  been  regarding  her  with  a  temperate 
and  critical  eye,  now,  urged  by  her  obvious 
distressed  timidity,  came  forward. 

"  How  did  you  get  among  the  Mormons, 
may  I  ask?  " 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  401 

"  My  husband/'  faltered  Susannah,  "  but 
he  is  dead." 

It  would  appear  that  her  words  tallied 
with  some  conclusion  he  had  been  drawing 
concerning  her,  for  without  further  parley 
Susannah  found  herself  being  led  in  a  formal 
manner  down  the  companion-way.  The  brief 
report  which  she  had  given  of  herself  had  pre 
ceded  her  through  the  boat.  She  heard  the 
passengers  whom  she  left  on  the  deck  making 
sentimental  remarks.  Two  coloured  girls 
who  were  washing  dishes  in  a  pantry  came 
to  its  door  and  gasped  with  emotion  as  they 
stared  at  her.  In  the  saloon  the  coloured 
waiters  gaped. 

At  the  farther  end  of  the  saloon  a  stout 
and  magnificent  lady  in  silk  and  diamonds 
was  seated  before  innumerable  viands  which 
were  spread  in  circles  around  her  plate.  She 
stopped  eating  while  her  husband  presented 
Susannah.  She  alone  of  all  upon  the  boat 
seemed  to  be  overburdened  by  no  surge  of 
sentiment  or  curiosity.  She  was  a  most  com 
fortable  person. 

Seated  in  safety  beside  her,  Susannah  could 
indulge  the  pent-up  indignation  of  her  out 
raged  spirit  in  silent  musings  upon  Smith's 
degradation  and  the  certain  downfall  of  all 
righteousness  under  the  new  tyranny.  And 
yet — and  yet — the  shock  of  the  last  few  days, 
forcibly  as  it  vibrated  through  all  her  nature, 
could  not  eradicate  the  sympathy  of  years — 
the  memories  of  Hiram  and  Kirtland,  Haun's 


402  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

Mill  and  the  desperate  winter's  march.  Jus 
tice,  her  old  friend,  now  her  inquisitor,  said 
sternly,  "  It  was  in  these  scenes  in  which  some 
lost  life  and  some  reason  that  these  men  lost 
their  moral  standards."  But  her  heart  cried, 
"  Now  that  /  am  insulted,  I  cannot  forgive." 

The  words  of  the  Governor's  wife,  cheer 
ful,  continuous,  and  not  without  diverting 
sparkle,  were  an  unspeakable  rest  to  Su 
sannah,  weary  above  all  things  of  herself. 
Whether  because  of  a  strong  undercurrent  of 
tactful  kindness,  or  in  mere  garrulity,  the  good 
lady's  talk  for  some  time  flowed  on  concern 
ing  all  things  small,  and  nothing  great,  like 
the  lapping  of  the  river  against  the  vessel's 
bows. 

But  at  last  her  companion's  situation  grew 
upon  her;  she  enlarged  more  than  once  upon 
her  surprise  at  Susannah's  advent,  and  her 
feelings  of  extreme  relief  that  she  was  safely 
there. 

"  What  a  mercy!  "  she  sighed  comfortably. 
"  Such  awful  people!  Why,  I  hear  that  when 
any  child  among  them  is  weak  or  deformed 
they  just  murder  it." 

Like  one  who  is  enraged  with  his  own  kin 
but  cannot  hear  them  falsely  accused,  Susan 
nah  contradicted  this  statement. 

"  It  is  perfectly  true,"  the  Governor's  wife 
declared.  "  I  have  heard  it  several  times. 
How  long  have  you  been  at  Nauvoo?  " 

"  Three  weeks." 

"  And  in  that  time  they  offered  to   kill 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  403 

you!  Well,  I  assure  you  if  you  had  been  a 
sickly  child  they  wouldn't  have  let  you  live 
three  days.  And  they  say  that  that  monster 
they  call  the  prophet  has  at  least  a  dozen 
wives." 

"  Oh,  no." 

"Ten  or  eleven,  at  any  rate." 

"  He  has  only  one,  and  he  has  always  been 
very  kind  to  her." 

"  How  they  have  imposed  upon  you! 
Where  have  you  been  living  that  you  have  not 
heard  more  of  their  iniquitous  doings  than 
that?  " 

Susannah  was  faint  and  ill  with  the  con 
flict  within  her  own  breast  when  the  dapper 
Kentucky  Governor,  on  business  intent,  came 
to  them  from  a  group  of  the  smoking 
men. 

"  James,"  cried  his  wife,  with  an  edge  of 
sharpness  in  her  low  voice,  "  this  lady  doesn't 
even  know  a  tithe  of  the  enormities  that  are 
practised  in  Nauvoo." 

He  shook  his  head,  and  said  that  it  was  a 
compliment  to  Susannah's  heart  and  mind 
that  the  tenth  part  had  been  sufficient  to 
alarm. 

His  manner  was  stiff  and  formal,  but  his 
disposition  seemed  very  kind. 

He  asked  Susannah  if  the  Mormons  had 
retained  all  her  property,  and  what  destina 
tion  she  now  proposed  for  herself,  and  then 
with  great  delicacy  informed  her  that  there 
was  a  proposition  among  the  passengers  to 


404  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

make  a  collection  to  defray  the  expenses  of 
her  whole  journey. 

Susannah's  cheek  paled  again. 

"  How  could  I  return  it  if  it  came  from 
so  many?  "  she  asked.  Her  white  hands  were 
clasping  and  unclasping  themselves.  Must  it 
indeed  be  by  means  of  such  humiliation  that 
she  saved  herself  from  Angel's  Church? 

The  Governor  determined  upon  further 
generosity.  "  If  you  would  prefer,  take  it 
from  me  as  a  loan,"  he  said. 

She  gave  him  Ephraim's  address.  It  was 
so  long  since  she  had  spoken  her  cousin's 
name  to  any  one  that  tears  came  when  she 
felt  herself  bound  to  explain  that  she  was  not 
certain  that  he  was  alive. 

"  He  is  probably  alive.  Ill  news  travels 
fast." 

She  blessed  the  dapper  gentleman  for  this 
unfounded  opinion,  for  the  kindness  that 
prompted  it,  more  than  for  all  else  that  he  had 
done. 

His  advice  was  that  Susannah  should  con 
tinue  upon  that  boat  with  them  as  far  south 
as  Cairo,  in  order  to  take  advantage  of  the 
steam-boats  now  plying  on  the  Ohio  River, 
so  that  the  expense  and  weariness  of  the  land 
journey  would  be  diminished  to  the  small 
space  between  the  uppermost  point  on  the 
Ohio  and  the  western  entrance  of  the  Erie 
Canal.  There  were  several  men  upon  the 
boat,  he  said,  who  could  commend  her  to  the 
care  of  every  captain  on  the  Ohio. 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  405 

Susannah  felt  too  weak  and  weary  to  say 
more  in  defence  of  the  morals  of  Nauvoo.  She 
could  not  struggle  against  the  fact  that  her 
claim  to  the  generosity  of  which  she  stood  in 
such  helpless  need  was  recognised  and  satis 
fied  by  the  hatred  of  these  Gentiles. 

When  in  the  succeeding  days  she  had  time 
to  meditate,  while  she  spent  many  a  long  hour 
on  the  decks  of  river-boats  watching  the  shim 
mering  lights  and  shades  that  pass  upon  open 
river  surfaces,  the  perplexing  and  contrasting 
aspects  of  her  situation  played  in  like  manner 
upon  her  heart. 

She  had  suffered  so  much,  such  long  and 
deadly  ill,  as  a  member  of  this  almost  inno 
cent  sect,  suffered  bravely  in  protest  against 
the  vile  injustice  of  the  persecution,  and  now 
that  she  was  escaping  from  miseries  inflicted 
by  this  same  sect,  she  was  wrapped  in  the 
kindly  reverse  side  of  the  persecuting  spirit, 
and  carried  home  in  it,  with  all  the  deference 
that  would  be  accorded  to  a  lost  child.  She 
was  too  tired  and  helpless  now  to  defy  the 
good  thus  given.  Did  all  her  former  suffering 
go  for  nothing  as  a  protest  against  the  wrong? 

With  more  curious  feelings,  more  involved 
sentiments,  she  regarded  the  history  of  her 
more  inward  life.  With  what  strong  protest 
against  the  obvious  evils  attendant  upon  un 
reasoning  faith  had  she  resisted  through  many 
years  the  infectious  influences  of  belief  in  an 
interfering  spiritual  world.  Now  she  had  de 
fied  Smith  with  a  faith  in  the  ideal  marriage 


406  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

unsupported  by  any  conscious  reason,  and 
when  she  had  looked  to  the  interference  of 
Providence,  not  even  in  meekness,  but  in  des 
perate  challenge,  she  had  strong  impression 
of  being  encompassed  by  invisible  power  and 
protection.  In  vain  she  said  to  herself  that 
the  simple  and  unlooked-for  method  of  her 
escape  was  one  of  those  coincidences  which 
only  appear  to  support  faith,  that  her  deliver 
ance  had  been  of  no  unearthly  sort,  but 
brought  about  by  means  doubtfully  right 
eous — consent  to  trick  the  boy  and  to  say 
little  on  hearing  the  Mormons  falsely  accused. 
When  she  had  told  herself  this,  the  impres 
sion  that  underneath  her  folly  a  guiding  hand 
had  impelled  and  saved  her,  in  spite  of  her 
small  marring  of  the  work,  remained.  Even 
while  her  bosom  was  swelling  with  shame  at 
hearing  her  husband's  sect  derided,  and  eat 
ing  the  bread  of  that  derision,  and  still  greater 
shame  at  knowing  that  condemnation  was 
merited,  she  would  find  herself  resting  in  the 
assurance  that  beyond  and  beneath  all  this 
confusion  of  pain  there  was  for  her  and  for  all 
men  an  eternal  and  beneficent  purpose. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

SUSANNAH  left  the  canal  boat  at  Roches 
ter.  She  had  borrowed  as  small  a  sum  as 
might  be,  and  was  now  penniless,  possessing 
only  her  travel-worn  garments;  she  had  no 
choice  but  to  start  toward  Manchester  on 
foot.  Food  was  easily  to  be  had;  such  a 
woman  as  Susannah  had  but  to  enter  any 
house  and  state  her  need.  She  got  a  long  lift 
on  her  way  from  a  farmer  driving  to  Canan- 
daigua.  Of  the  farmer  she  asked,  while  her 
pulses  almost  stopped,  some  information 
about  Ephraim. 

"  He's  kep  up  the  place  to  a  wonderful  de 
gree  like  his  father,"  said  the  farmer. 

From  this  she  gathered  that  Ephraim  was 
alive  and  in  better  health. 

She  asked  no  more;  her  lips  refused  to 
form  his  name  again. 

"  The  old  lady,  she  was  took  off  with  a 
stroke;  she  and  the  old  gentleman  is  laying 
together  in  the  graveyard."  The  farmer  vol 
unteered  this  information,  and  Susannah,  who 
had  nerved  herself  to  meet  Ephraim's  mother 
with  humility,  now  wept  for  her  loss. 

From  the  town  of  Canandaigua  she  walked 
beside  the  winding  river  and  entered  Man- 
27  407 


408  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

Chester  from  the  west  at  the  hour  when  the 
May  dusk  was  melting  into  moonlight. 

The  public  road,  then  as  now,  was  lined 
with  elms  and  many  an  apple-tree.  The  dusk 
of  the  elm  branches  was  flecked  with  half- 
grown  fluttering  leaves,  and  the  outline  of 
the  apple  branches  was  heavy  with  blossom. 
The  air  was  sweet  in  the  shade  of  the  night- 
folded  petals,  the  perfume  bringing  involun 
tarily  the  thought  of  the  hum  of  bees  which 
had  gone  to  rest.  There  were  some  new 
houses  on  the  road,  but  the  tide  of  progress 
had  here  ebbed,  leaving  the  once  ambitious 
village  like  a  rock  pool,  beautified  only  by 
those  ornaments  of  nature  which  thrive  in 
stillness.  There  was  more  on  the  road  of  gable 
and  shrub  and  tree  which  was  familiar  than 
of  objects  strange  to  her  eye.  The  few  people 
who  were  abroad  gave  her  scarcely  a  glance, 
the  half  light  veiling  all  that  was  foreign  in 
her  garb.  The  round  moon  hung  above  the 
willows  of  the  river. 

When  she  came  in  sight  of  the  white  Bap 
tist  meeting-house  she  scanned  its  homely  ap 
pearance  as  one  looks  at  the  face  of  an  old 
friend.  The  yellow  light  within  was  put  out 
as  she  approached.  Out  of  the  door  a  group 
of  men  were  issuing  as  if  from  some  evening 
service. 

What  vivid  memories  the  scene  brought 
her! — memories  of  her  uncle  singing  psalms 
with  slow  and  solemn  demeanour,  of  her  aunt's 
high  and  more  emotional  voice,  of  the  pew  in 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 


409 


which  as  a  girl  she  had  sat  between  them,  list 
less  and  impatient,  wondering  at  times  why 
Ephraim  remained  at  home. 

Her  uncle  and  aunt  were  now  lying  in  the 
graveyard.  She  paused  a  moment  at  the 
thought,  looking  at  the  small  host  of  modest 
headstones  surrounded  by  wild-flowers  and 
half-fledged  shrubs.  It  has  never  been  the 
custom  in  Manchester  to  cultivate  God's  acre. 
Above,  the  branches  of  the  nut-trees  stretched 
themselves  in  the  sweet  spring  air — they  too 
were  just  leafing. 

Standing  by  the  low,  unpainted  rail,  Su 
sannah  wondered  in  what  part  of  the  yard 
her  aunt  and  uncle  lay. 

She  observed  that  the  small  coterie  of 
deacons  had  passed  on  to  the  road  and  dis 
persed,  leaving  only  one  of  their  number,  who 
was  locking  the  main  door  with  an  air  of  re 
sponsibility.  Susannah  did  not  look  twice; 
she  knew  that  this  man  was  Ephraim.  He 
stooped  slightly  to  fit  the  key  in  the  lock; 
then,  evidently  having  forgotten  something, 
pushed  the  door  again  and  went  inside. 

Susannah  did  not  wait;  she  went  up  the 
graveyard  path  and  in  where  the  great  square 
windows  cast  each  a  strip  of  light  athwart  the 
dark  pews.  Ephraim  turned  from  his  errand 
and  met  her  in  the  aisle. 

"  Ephraim." 

Ephraim  Croom  fell  back  a  step  or  two, 
as  if  his  breath  was  set  too  quick  by  joy  or 
fear. 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 


Susannah  could  not  speak  again. 

At  length  Ephraim  stretched  out  his  hands 
and  grasped  her  arms  gently,  then  more 
strongly,  making  sure  that  she  was  not  a  trick 
of  light  and  shade.  Then,  not  knowing  at  all 
what  he  did,  he  clasped  her  in  sudden  haste 
to  his  breast. 

Susannah  felt  his  arms  wrap  about  her  as 
if  she  had  been  a  little  child.  She  had  never 
felt,  never  conceived,  of  closeness  and  tender 
ness  like  this.  Ephraim,  his  breast  heaving 
and  his  arms  folding  closer  and  closer,  was 
out  of  himself.  There  was  no  conscious  mean 
ing  expressed  by  him,  but  she  knew,  knew  at 
once  without  shadow  of  doubt  that  he  him 
self  had  been  the  dreamer  of  whom  he  wrote 
to  her,  who  had  learned  so  much  by  yielding 
all  the  loves  of  his  heart  to  one,  and  that  she 
was  that  woman. 

It  was  a  long  moment;  at  last,  as  if  wak 
ing  from  a  dream,  Ephraim  relinquished  his 
hold.  He  leaned  against  the  side  of  a  pew, 
and  his  eager  look  seemed  to  hold  and  fold 
her  still.  In  the  dim  light  she  could  not  see 
his  eye,  but  she  felt  the  delight  of  his  glance 
falling  upon  her,  a  brighter,  softer  influence 
than  the  mantle  of  the  moonlight. 

She  laid  a  hand  lightly  on  his  shoulder 
with  a  motherly  touch. 

"  I  have  startled  you,  dear  Ephraim;  I 
hope  I  have  done  you  no  harm." 

He  made  as  yet  no  answer  but  to  take 
her  hand,  grasping  it  with  rough  hearti- 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  411 

ness  as  if  this  was  the  first  moment  of  their 
meeting. 

Susannah  laughed  as  women  sometimes 
laugh  over  their  cherished  ones  for  very  joy, 
not  amusement.  "  Speak  to  me,"  she  coaxed. 
"  I  have  come  back  to  you.  Do  you  think 
we  are  in  a  dream?  "  She  let  herself  kneel  on 
the  old  floor  of  the  old  aisle,  and,  clasping  both 
his  hands,  laid  them  against  her  cheek. 

With  his  returning  self,  something  of  his 
habitual  formality  of  manner  would  have  re 
turned  had  she  remained  in  any  common  atti 
tude,  but  to  this  coaxing,  kneeling  queen  Eph- 
raim  (although  his  whole  life  had  passed  with 
out  caresses)  could  not  behave  with  reticence. 

One  thing  he  did  not  do.  He  did  not 
hint  that  it  was  unseemly  that  she  should  kneel 
at  his  feet.  Chivalry  was  the  very  substance 
of  the  soul  of  this  son  of  New  England,  and 
no  outward  seeming  could  disturb  his  serene 
reverence  for  the  woman  he  loved.  He 
stooped  over  her,  now  stroking  her  hair,  now 
holding  her  hands  close  against  his  heart,  now 
whispering  words  that  in  their  audible  pas 
sion  were  new  and  strange  to  his  unaccus 
tomed  lips. 

"  I  am  all  alone,  Ephraim.  I  have  no 
money,  no  clothes.  I  have  walked  most  of 
the  way  from  Rochester  to-day." 

"  Are  you  very  tired?  " — as  if  the  fact  that 
she  had  been  walking  that  day  was  all  that 
needed  his  immediate  attention. 

"  I  was  forced  to  come  suddenly.     I  only 


412  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

escaped  with  my  life.  But  I  have  long  been 
wearying  to  come  to  you,  for  since  my  hus 
band  and  the  child  died  I  have  been  quite 
alone." 

"  We  heard  that  they  were  dead,  but  that 
was  long  ago."  There  was  no  tone  of  re 
proach  in  his  voice,  only  curiosity.  "  You 
never  wrote,  and  I — I  supposed  that  if  you 
were  alive  you — you  preferred  to  remain, 
Susy." 

She  did  not  enter  into  explanation  then. 
After  a  while,  when  he  had  raised  her  to  her 
feet  and  embraced  her  again,  she  whispered, 
"  Why  are  you  in  the  meeting  -  house, 
Ephraim?  " 

"  We  have  been  having  a  prayer  meeting," 
he  answered.  "  And  I  keep  the  key  because 
— because  my  father  used  to."  He  gave  the 
reason  with  an  intonation  half  playful.  "  I  do 
many  a  thing  now  because  he  did." 

"  I  thought  that  you  at  least  would  never 
become  like  the  others.  Are  they  less  fool 
ish  "  (she  made  a  gesture  toward  the  pews  to 
denote  their  late  inmates),  "  less  unjust  than 
they  used  to  be?  " 

As  they  went  toward  the  Croom  home 
stead  he  answered  her  words  in  his  manner 
of  meditative  good-humour  which  she  knew 
so  well.  "  I  don't  know  that  they  are  less  un 
just  and  less  foolish  than  they  used  to  be,  or 
that  I  am  either,  Susy,  but — it  is  not  good  to 
worship  Gocl  alone." 

She  pressed  close  to  his  side  and  looked 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  413 

up  through  the  honied  blossom  of  the  apple- 
boughs;  the  violet  gulfs  of  heaven  seemed  to 
be  made  more  homelike  by  his  tones. 

"  The  sun,  they  say,  is  ninety-three  mil 
lions  of  miles  away  from  the  earth's  surface, 
Susy;  and  think  you  that  if  some  of  us  climb 
the  mountains  we  are  much  nearer  light  than 
those  in  the  vales?  " 

She  remembered  sentences  which  she  had 
conned  from  his  letters  which  ran  like  this, 
and  her  thought  on  its  way  was  arrested  for 
a  moment  by  the  memory  of  the  spot  where 
she  had  lost  those  letters,  the  thought  of  the 
grave  by  the  creek  at  Haun's  Mill  and  of  her 
husband's  steadfast  faith.  So  they  walked  in 
silence,  but  as  they  stood  by  the  garden  gate 
under  the  quince  tree,  she  detained  him  a  mo 
ment  with  a  child's  desire  to  hear  a  story  that 
she  knew  by  heart. 

"  Ephraim,  you  wrote  once  that  you  knew 
a  man  who  loved " 

When  he  had  given  the  answer  she  wanted, 
they  went  up  the  little  brick  path,  and  Susan 
nah  noticed  that  the  folded  tulips  and  waxen 
hyacinths  flanked  it  in  orderly  ranks.  Their 
light  forms  glimmered  in  the  branch  shadows 
of  the  budding  quince.  It  was  true,  what  peo 
ple  said,  that  Ephraim  had  not  let  his  father's 
home  decay.  The  door  stood  open,  as  coun 
try  doors  are  apt  to  do. 

There  was  a  lack  of  something  in  the  dark 
appointments  of  the  sitting-room.  The  traces 
of  busy  domestic  life  were  not  there,  and  sad- 


4I4  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

ness  filled  the  place  of  the  parents  whom  she 
had  unfeignedly  longed  to  see  again.  Through 
a  door  ajar  she  saw  light  in  the  large  kitchens. 
A  candle  was  upon  a  table,  and  an  old  woman, 
unknown  to  her,  sat  sewing  beside  it.  Ephra- 
im,  holding  a  burning  match  in  clumsy  fin 
gers,  lit  a  student  lamp — the  fire  of  a  new 
hearth. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Two  years  after  that,  Ephraim,  returning 
one  day  from  the  field,  brought  with  him  a 
poor  wayfarer  whom  he  had  met  upon  the 
road. 

The  stranger  was  of  middle  age,  with  hair 
already  gray  and  face  deeply  furrowed.  In 
ragged  garments,  resting  his  bandaged  feet, 
he  sat  propped  in  the  sitting-room.  The  warm 
air  blowing  from  rich  harvest  fields  came  in 
at  open  door  and  windows.  Attentive  before 
him,  Ephraim  and  Susannah  sat. 

"  You  are  one  of  the  Latter-Day  Saints?  " 
Susannah  asked. 

"  I  am,  ma'am,  and  it's  real  strange  to  hear 
you  say  them  words,  for  it's  '  Mormons  '  the 
Gentiles  calls  us." 

Then  to  her  questioning  he  told  the  story 
of  the  downfall  of  Nauvoo. 

"  There  was  two  causes  for  the  persecu 
tion;  we  had  got  too  powerful  and  too  great 
for  the  folks  in  Illinois,  just  as  we  had  done  in 
Missouri;  but  there  was  another  thing,  and 
that  was  that  wickedness  crept  in  amongst  us. 
'Twasn't  as  bad  as  was  reported,  though,  but 
'twas  there — I'm  afraid  'twas  there." 

The  man  sighed. 

415 


416  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

"  It's  twelve  years  now  since  I  joined  the 
Saints  in  Missouri,  and  when  we  were  driven 
out  there  I  went  with  them  to  Illinois;  and  I 
can  never  believe  other  but  that  the  Latter- 
Day  Saints  has  the  truth,  for  the  power  of  it 
is  always  to  be  seen  among  them;  and  now 
that  I've  lost  everything  a  second  time,  and 
know  that  I  have  a  sickness  that  I'll  never 
get  the  better  of,  I  have  come  east  to  see  my 
folks  once  more  and  to  testify  to  them  of  the 
truth." 

He  was  going  on  into  Vermont,  passing 
by  that  way  that  he  might  refresh  his  eyes 
with  a  view  of  the  sacred  hill,  and  had  only 
remained  at  Ephraim's  request  to  relate  his 
tidings  to  Susannah. 

"  After  coming  out  of  Missouri  I  never 
lived  at  Nauvoo.  I  had  a  farm  midways  be 
tween  Nauvoo  and  Quincy.  As  near  as  I 
can  make  out,  the  scandal  they've  got  agen 
us,  which  they've  always  had  agen  us  because 
of  the  wickedness  of  the  Gentile  mind,  began 
to  have  some  truth  in  it  when  Rigdon  came 
out  with  his  teaching  concerning  the  non 
sense  of  spiritual  wives,  which  wasn't  new  with 
him,  for  I  hear  that  it's  held  among  all  the 
folks  as  call  themselves  '  Perfectionists.'  Well, 
our  prophet  made  pretty  quick  work  of  that 
doctrine,  and  he  rebuked  Rigdon  in  public 
and  private,  and  packed  him  out  of  the  place, 
and  no  one  can  say  that  our  prophet  has  ever 
done  otherwise  with  any  one  as  has  had  no 
tions  about  marriage." 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  417 

Susannah  sighed.  "  I  have  heard  that  he 
has  acted  the  same  way  in  several  other  in 
stances." 

"  You  have,  ma'am?  Well,  it's  strange, 
too,  to  hear  a  Gentile  say  a  good  word  for 
our  prophet,  but  perhaps,  as  he  came  from 
here,  ma'am,  you  may  be  some  relation  of  his; 
and  I  ask  you,  is  it  likely,  as  he's  always  acted 
so  severe  in  that  matter,  that  he  should  have 
taught  a  false  doctrine  himself?  But  even 
some  of  the  Saints  do  say  nowadays  that  he 
was  led  away  by  some  strange  doctrines  before 
he  died;  but,  for  my  own  part,  I  believe  that 
the  tales  have  arisen  from  the  sinful  natures 
of  many  of  the  men  that  he  trusted;  for  he 
was  too  trustful,  and  there's  apostles  and 
bishops  and  elders  amongst  us  that  are  serv 
ants  of  hell.  There's  been  evil  work  since  our 
prophet's  martyrdom,  for  there's  thousands  of 
our  people  now  deluded  by  them  and  going 
out  after  Mr.  Brigham  Young  and  his  crew. 

'  You  want  to  know  how  the  prophet's 
death  came  about,  and  I  can  tell  you;  for 
when  my  disease  came  on,  and  the  doctor  told 
me  'twas  fatal,  I  started  to  go  up  to  Nauvoo 
to  ask  the  prophet  to  lay  his  hands  upon  me 
and  heal  me.  But  when  I  got  there  the  city 
was  all  in  a  buzz,  for  the  cause  that  some  of 
the  elders  had  got  out  a  paper  accusing  the 
prophet  of  having  a  lot  of  ladies  for  wives. 
Well  now,  I  can  tell  you  how  that  came  about. 
When  our  prophet  first  got  the  charter  for 
the  Nauvoo  Legion  there  was  a  man  called 


4l8  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

Bennet,  who  had  been  general  in  the  Ameri 
can  army,  and  who  was  steeped  in  unbelief 
and  ambition,  and  who  came  and  offered  his 
services  to  the  prophet,  and  was  allowed  to 
build  up  the  Nauvoo'Legion.  He  was  a  most 
sinful  man,  and  the  prophet,  he  knew  his  sin- 
fulness,  but  thought  that  he  ought  to  take  any 
help  to  build  up  an  army  to  preserve  his  peo 
ple  from  the  fearful  persecutions.  Bennet  got 
hold  of  the  worst  side  of  the  worst  men  we 
had  in  the  Church,  among  which  was  the  new 
usurper."  He  paused  here  with  ire  in  his  eye. 
"  I  would  be  understood  to  mean  Mr.  Brig- 
ham  Young,  who  has  falsely  usurped  the 
prophet's  place;  but  there  are  many  of  us  who 
will  not  follow  him,  no,  not  one  step.  The 
Lord  will  requite  him  and  his  confederates, 
and  will  establish  his  true  servants." 

"  I  fear,  my  good  friend,"  said  Ephraim, 
"  that  although  it  is  true  that  the  Lord  will 
establish  his  true  servants,  it  is  also  true  that 
their  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world." 

"  Well,  sir,  tramping  along  as  I've  done 
many  a  day,  with  no  companion  but  the  dis 
ease  that's  prevailing  against  me,  I've  thought 
that  that  may  be  true;  but,  whichever  way  it 
is,  Bennet  set  himself  to  work  iniquity,  and 
they  say  that  when  the  prophet  could  endure 
him  no  longer  and  gave  him  the  sack,  he  had 
the  vileness  to  dress  himself  up  in  the  proph 
et's  clothes  and  go  about  in  disguise,  talking 
Sydney  Rigdon's  rank  spiritual-wife  doctrine 
to  the  ladies  and  some  of  them  were  such  fools 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  419 

that  they  thought  it  was  the  prophet,  and  that 
he  disguised  his  voice  and  kept  something 
over  his  face  in  order  to  work  the  iniquity  in 
secret.  That's  what  a  gentleman  who  knew 
very  well  about  it  told  me.  But  anyway,  when 
Bennet  was  gone  out  he  wrote  awful  things 
to  the  Gentile  newspapers  concerning  the  do 
mestic  iniquities  of  Nauvoo;  and  he  had  his 
own  party  in  the  sacred  city,  and  they  up  and 
put  their  scandals  in  the  public  print  in  the 
prophet's  own  city. 

"  But  the  prophet  he  rose  up  and  shook 
himself,  like  Samson  when  his  arms  were  tied 
with  the  withes,  and  he  denounced  the  wick 
edness,  and  went  to  the  house  where  the  paper 
was  published,  and  kicked  the  printing  press 
down  himself,  and  burned  the  paper.  And 
that  day  he  preached  most  powerful  in  the 
Nauvoo  Temple."  Bancroft  UbT 

'*  We  heard  that  it  was  on  account  of  the 
illegality  of  his  action  in  the  printing  office 
that  the  people  of  Illinois  arrested  him." 

The  stranger  did  not  answer  directly.  His 
mind  had  passed  on  to  scenes  which  had 
stirred  him  more  personally. 

"  I  was  in  the  city  all  the  time.  The  Gov 
ernment  of  Illinois  sent  to  arrest  Mr.  Smith, 
but  his  people  rallied  round  him,  and  said  that 
in  consequence  of  the  lawless  persecutions 
that  had  passed  in  Missouri  they  had  a  right 
to  mistrust  the  justice  of  the  State.  They 
called  out  the  Nauvoo  Legion,  and  sent  back 
the  constables  that  had  come  from  Carthage. 


420  THE    MORMON    PROPHET. 

That  made  the  Gentiles  terribly  angry.  The 
Illinois  militiamen  went  about  saying  openly 
that  they  would  burn  down  the  town  and  kill 
every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  it.  So  then 
Governor  Ford  himself  advised  our  prophet 
to  keep  the  Legion  under  arms,  for  he  said 
the  Gentiles  were  so  furious;  but  he  asked  the 
prophet  to  go  to  Carthage  and  pledge  himself 
to  appear  for  the  trial  when  it  came  on,  for  it 
was  a  civil  suit,  and  no  harm  could  come  to 
him  and  his.  Governor  Ford  pledged  his  hon 
our  as  the  Governor  of  the  State. 

"  I  had  been  waiting  about  the  town  until 
the  prophet  should  be  less  bothered  before 
asking  him  to  heal  my  sickness,  but  when  I 
heard  that  he  was  going  away,  then  I  mis 
doubted  that  it  would  be  long  before  he  came 
back.  I  thought  I'd  make  a  push  for  it,  so 
I  went  and  hung  round  the  door  of  the  proph 
et's  house.  I  was  only  a  poor  man  and  I  did 
not  like  to  go  in,  for  the  bishops  and  elders 
and  all  the  grand  folks  were  going  in  and  out 
all  that  day.  I  heard  the  things  they  said, 
and  most  of  them  were  saying  that  the  prophet 
had  had  a  vision,  and  that  if  he  went  to  Car 
thage  he  would  never  come  back  alive.  They 
said  too  that  if  he  stayed,  the  town  would  be 
sacked,  and  I  understood  that  they  were  ask 
ing  him  to  run  away.  Towards  evening  I  saw 
a  buggy  draw  up  at  the  back  door  of  the  hotel, 
and  all  the  elders  seemed  to  be  holding  a  meet 
ing,  for  they  were  singing  hymns;  so  then  it 
just  come  to  me  that  they  were  going  to  get 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  421 

the  prophet  off,  and  I  ran  down  the  road  to 
the  ferry,  for  I  knew  he  would  have  to  go  that 
way.  I  waited  in  the  boat,  and  the  same 
buggy  came  down  to  it,  and  a  man  with  a 
cloak  on  and  his  hat  over  his  eyes  came  out 
and  sat  in  the  corner  of  the  boat,  and  we  all 
knew  that  it  was  the  prophet,  and  none  of  us 
durst  speak  to  him.  But  I  went  over  in  the 
boat,  for  I  hoped  I'd  get  up  courage  to  ask 
him  when  we  came  to  the  other  side.  When 
he  stood  on  the  shore  he  seemed  like  a  man 
that  didn't  know  what  to  do,  although  there 
was  horses  there  for  him  to  take,  and  he  turned 
round  and  went  off  the  road  up  on  to  a  little 
hill ;  and  I  went  after  him  a  bit  of  the  way  be 
hind,  and  I  came  and  found  him  just  standing 
looking  at  the  city,  for  the  river  swept  round 
two  sides  of  it  so  noble  like,  and  blue  as  the 
sky  above,  and  the  city  stood  all  white,  and 
the  temple  stood  high  in  the  middle,  and  all 
of  it  glistened  in  the  sun.  The  prophet  had 
taken  off  his  hat,  and  he  stood  with  his  hands 
folded  on  the  stick  he  carried,  and  he  just 
looked  and  looked  at  the  city.  I  had  never 
seen  a  man  look  like  that  but  once  before, 
and  then  it  was  a  man  I  knew  whose  wife  died, 
and  he  looked  at  her  face  just  steadfast  like 
that.  I  couldn't  think  to  speak  to  him  about 
myself  just  then,  although  I'd  got  him  alone, 
for  my  heart  was  just  broke  to  see  how  sad 
he  looked,  and  him  just  in  the  prime  of  life; 
for  it  was  his  own  city,  and  the  sound  of  all 
its  work  came  over  to  us  as  we  stood  there, 


422  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

and  the  thousands  and  thousands  of  happy 
homes  in  it  belonged  to  his  own  people. 

"  But  when  I  moved  a  bit  he  saw  me,  and 
he  started  at  first  as  if  I'd  been  going  to  shoot 
him,  thinking  no  doubt  that  I  was  an  enemy 
spying  on  him.  At  that,  because  my  disease 
had  weakened  me,  and  because  I  seemed  to 
feel  nothing  all  through  me  but  the  grief  that 
he  was  bearing,  I  began  to  cry  like  a  child. 

1  Then  he  stretched  out  his  hands  towards 
the  city  and  I  heard  him  say,  '  My  Lord,  thou 
hast  given  me  this  people,  and  if  I  leave  them 
without  a  shepherd  they  will  be  stricken  and 
scattered  and  robbed  by  the  destroyer.' 

"  So  then  in  a  few  minutes  he  held  out  his 
hand  to  me,  so  gentlemanlike,  as  if  I  was  as 
good  as  him,  and  he  said,  '  Come,  my  friend, 
let  us  go  back,  and  let  God  determine  what 
we  shall  do  or  suffer.'  So  we  went  and  got 
on  the  ferry-boat  and  went  back,  and  I  never 
spoke  to  him ;  but  I  went  with  him  all  the  way 
to  his  house. 

'  The  next  morning  I  heard  that  he  and 
Mr.  Hyrum  were  going  to  set  off  for  Carthage 
to  be  tried.  So  I  got  a  horse  and  went  to 
Carthage  before  them,  for  I  felt  then  that  I 
cared  for  nothing  but  to  see  the  prophet  again. 
But  I  heard  tell  how,  as  they  went  along,  their 
wives  and  their  friends  went  with  them  part 
way,  and  they  turned  back  two  or  three  times 
as  they  were  parting  from  them,  for  the 
prophet  said  that  they  would  never  see  his 
face  again. 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  423 

"  Governor  Ford  he  met  them  at  Carthage 
with  a  great  to-do.  He  pledged  the  honour 
of  the  State  that  they  should  be  safe, t  and  he 
had  the  troops  drawn  up  on  either  side,  and 
he  passed  down  between  them  with  the 
prophet  and  Mr.  Hyrum  and  showed  them 
himself  into  the  gaol.  The  prophet  said  that 
it  was  illegal  to  put  them  in  the  gaol,  for  it 
was  a  civil  matter,  and  Governor  Ford  said, 
for  I  heard  him,  that  it  was  because  they 
would  be  safer  there.  I  was  standing  just  be 
hind  the  line  of  soldiers  jostling  up  with  the 
crowd,  and  I  heard  the  Governor  say,  '  I 
pledge  you  my  honour,  and  the  faith  and  hon 
our  of  this  State,  that  no  harm  shall  come  to 
you  while  undergoing  this  imprisonment/ 
So  then  they  were  shut  in;  but  the  crowd  and 
the  soldiers  remained  in  the  streets,  and  I 
heard  enough  to  know  that  harm  would 
come. 

"  The  next  morning  the  Governor  went 
away  from  Carthage,  to  be  out  of  it,  and  that 
day,  in  the  afternoon,  a  mob  of  men  with  faces 
painted  like  Indians  came  out  with  guns,  and 
we  knew  that  their  purpose  was  to  murder 
the  prophet.  I  went  to  the  gaol  and  sat  upon 
the  steps,  and  the  militia,  which  was  called 
the  Carthage  Greys,  came  out,  and  halted 
about  eight  rods  from  the  gaol,  and  I  thought 
at  first  that  they  would  fire  on  the  mob  when 
they  came,  but  they  never  moved,  but  stood 
and  looked  on.  So  the  murder  was  done  by 
them  all  in  cold  blood  as  well  as  by  the  mob." 

23 


424  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

"  Did  you  see  him  die?  "  asked  Susannah 
with  white  lips. 

"  If  he  was  a  relation  of  yours,  ma'am,  I 
can  tell  you  that  he  died  like  a  man.  First 
I  thought  that  I  would  spend  what  little 
strength  I  had  left  in  fighting  the  mob  at  the 
door,  and  that  they  should  not  go  in  except 
over  my  body;  but  the  gaoler  opened  the  door 
in  pretence  of  finding  out  what  was  the  mat 
ter,  for  he  was  in  the  plot;  so  I  thought  that 
I  would  run  up  and  give  warning.  But  by 
the  time  I  got  to  the  door  of  the  upper  room 
where  the  prophet  was,  the  mob  was  up  be 
hind  me,  so  I  never  rightly  knew  what  I  did, 
for  they  knocked  me  down  just  within  the 
room.  There  were  four  or  five  men  with  the 
prophet  and  Mr.  Hyrum,  and  these  kept  the 
mob  back  for  a  few  minutes  at  the  door,  but 
a  bullet  hit  Mr.  Hyrum  in  the  head,  and  I 
saw  the  prophet  leaning  over  him,  and  he  said 
in  a  voice  that  was  very  sad,  '  My  dear,  dear 
brother! ' 

"  Then  the  prophet  stood  up  quite  calmly 
nd  pulled  out  a  pistol  and  shot  at  the  mob 
until  all  its  barrels  were  discharged.  His  fir 
ing  made  the  men  hold  back,  for  a  good  num 
ber  of  the  mob  were  struck.  Then  they  came 
on  again  until  the  door  was  literally  full  with 
muskets  and  rifles,  but  I  was  lying  on  the 
floor  below  the  shots,  so  I  jsajv  them  pass  over 
my  head.  The  very  walls  were  riddled  with 
:hem,  and  the  prophet  stood  in  the  midst  of 
the  shots  and  threw  up  his  hands  towan' 


-CuN-~-\ 


THE    MORMON    PROPHET.  425 

heaven  and  cried,  '  O  Lord,  my  God.'  Then, 
not  knowing  what  he  did,  he  staggered  to  the 
window,  dying  from  his  wounds,  and  he  fell 
outside  the  window,  and  I  heard  that  the  mob 
out  there  propped  up  his  body  and  used  it 
for  a  target." 

Susannah  rose  up  with  clenched  hands 
and  pitiful  face,  but  she  went  out  of  the  room, 
leaving  the  two  men  together.  "  Were  you 
injured?  "  asked  Ephraim  of  the  stranger. 

"  Well,  sir,  I  was  bruised  by  being  tram 
pled  on,  but  the  gaoler  got  hold  of  me  and 
dragged  me  into  an  iron  cell  and  locked  me 
in,  and  the  next  morning  he  came  and  let  me 
out." 

''  That  was  a  year  ago,"  said  Ephraim. 
"  Have  you  been  in  Nauvoo  since  then?  " 

'  Yes,  I  went  back.  I  wanted  to  know, 
sir,  what  would  come,  and  take  my  share  of 
the  suffering  after  seeing  the  prophet  die  so 
courageous;  but,  sir,  the  Church  is  sorely  di 
vided.  I  didn't  like  to  say  it  before  your  lady, 
for  I  see  that  she's  got  some  one  she  cares 
for  amongst  us,  but  there's  a  strong  party 
among  the  apostles  and  elders  that  are  wor 
shippers  of  Baal,  and  are  most  evil  in  their 
conduct  and  practice,  and  are  apostate,  though 
they  call  themselves  followers  of  the  prophet. 
And  Mr.  Brigham  Young  is  at  the  head  of 
them.  It's  a  bad  thing  that  the  Illinois  militia 
is  set  out  to  fight  against  us  and  turn  us  out 
of  the  city  without  mercy,  but  it's  a  sorer 
thing  that  the  greater  part  of  our  people,  b 

^1-^-      ^— s-  *  — 


426  THE   MORMON    PROPHET. 

ing  ignorant,  will  follow  Mr.  Brigham  Young; 
and  he's  bent  on  going  west,  sir,  into  the  heart 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  where  he  can  set  up 
a  kingdom  of  his  own.  His  teaching  is  against 
good  doctrine  in  two  respects;  he  says  that 
they  will  wax  strong  there  until  they  can 
avenge  the  blood  of  their  brethren  who  have 
been  hunted  and  slain,  and  that  the  elders  and 
apostles  will  live  like  the  patriarchs  of  old, 
and  have  many  wives,  in  order  to  build  up 
the  Church." 

"  And  has  the  other  party  in  your  sect  no 
strength  to  resist?  " 

"  Very  little  strength,  sir,  except  that  God 
is  on  the  side  of  the  righteous;  but  Mrs.  Smith, 
the  prophet's  widow,  with  his  sons  and  many 
hundreds  of  us,  will  not  give  in  to  the  evil, 
but  will  stay  in  Illinois  and  Missouri  in  face 
of  the  worst  that  persecution  can  do,  for  it 
was  thereabouts  that  the  prophet  said  that  the 
Holy  City  should  be,  and  he  gave  us  no  word 
to  kill  and  destroy  our  fellow-men;  and  al 
though  perhaps  he  was  led  away  and  sinned 
sometimes  as  other  men  do,  it  is  a  scandalous 
lie  to  say  that  he  thought  to  teach  wickedness 
and  falsehood  to  his  Church." 

"  I  wonder,"  asked  Ephraim  within  him 
self,  "  if  that  is  true,  or  what  strange  secret 
that  troubled  soul  took  with  him  to  the  other 
side  of  death?  " 

In  the  evening  after  the  stranger  was  gone 
Susannah  sat  with  Ephraim  in  the  old  door 
way.  Before  them,  mid  the  harvest  fields, 


THE   MORMON    PROPHET.  427 

winding  over  hill  and  dale,  lay  the  long  white 
road  which  led  to  the  hill  of  Smith's  early  vis 
ions — the  road  on  which  Susannah  had  set 
forth  with  Angel  Halsey  on  her  wedding 
journey. 

"  You  are  a-weary,  wife,  to-night,"  said 
Ephraim.  He  smoothed  the  hair  upon  her 
brow.  "  You  have  exhausted  yourself  with 
long  weeping,  and  yet " 

He  did  not  say,  "  Have  you  reason  to  be 
moan  this  man's  tragic  end?  "  for  he  knew 
that  more  sacred  memories  had  caused  the 
tears;  of  these  some  faint  jealousy  rose  in  his 
breast  and  kindness  sealed  his  lips. 

She  told  him  the  truth  in  very  simple 
words  such  as  loving  women  use. 

"  To-day  I  seemed  to  see  "  (she  laid  her 
hand  across  her  knit  brows)  "  all  the  passion 
of  it  again,  the  wrong,  the  right,, the  misery 
• — from  the  day  that  Angel  and  I  went  out 
with  such  young  passionate  desire  to  divide 
the  right  from  the  wrong.  I  could  see  Angel 
and  my  baby  shot  before  my  eyes  as  Joseph 
Smith  was  shot.  It  is  terrible  to  see  death 
come  that  way.  But  they  are  all  three  lying 
now  in  the  perfect  peace  of  death."  She  put 
her  hand  in  his.  "  Then,  dear,  my  mind  came 
back  from  the  rage  and  terror  of  war.  I 
thought  of  their  peace  and  of  you — how  God 
has  healed  my  life  by  your  love,  and  given  me 
such  joy.  Is  he  not  able  to  provide  for  the 
healing  of  the  nations?  " 

THE    END. 


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"A   BOOK   THAT    WILL   LIVE." 

T\AVID  HARUM.     A  Story  of  American  Life.     By 
-£-^  EDWARD  NOYES  WESTCOTT.     i2mo.     Cloth,  $1.50. 

"  Mr  Westcott  has  done  for  central  New  York  what  Mr.  Cable,  Mr.  Page,  and 
Mr.  Harris  have  done  for  different  parts  of  the  South,  and  what  Miss  Jewett  and  Miss 
Wilkins  are  doing  for  New  England,  and  Mr.  Hamlin  Garland  lor  the  West.  .  .  . 
'David  Hanim'  is  a  masterly  delineation  of  an  American  type.  .  .  .  Here  is  life  with 
all  its  joys  and  sorrows.  .  .  .  David  Harum  lives  in  these  pages  as  he  will  live  in  the 
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of  them  in  boundless  energy,  in  large-heartedness,  in  shrewdness,  and  in  humor." — 
The  Critic. 

"Thoroughly  a  pure,  original,  and  fresh  American  type.  David  Harum  is  a 
character  whose  qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  eccentricities,  and  dry  humor  will  win  for 
his  creator  notable  distinction.  Buoyancy,  life,  and  cheerfulness  are  dominant  notes. 
In  its  vividness  and  force  the  story  is  a  strong,  fresh  picture  of  American  life.  Original 
and  true,  it  is  worth  the  same  distinction  which  is  accorded  the  genre  pictures  of 
peculiar  types  and  places  sketched  by  Mr.  George  W.  Cable,  Mr.  Joel  Chandler 
Harris,  Mr.  Thomas  Nelson  Page,  Miss  Wilkins,  Miss  Jewett,  Mr.  Garland,  Miss 
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A  pretty  love  story  also  adds  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  book,  that  will  be  appreciated 
at  once  by  every  one  who  enjoys  real  humor,  strong  character,  true  pictures  of  life,  and 
work  that  is  '  racy  of  the  soil.'  " — Boston  Herald. 

"  Mr.  Westcott  has  created  a  new  and  interesting  type.  .  .  .  The  character  sketch 
ing  and  building,  so  far  as  David  Harum  is  concerned,  is  well-nigh  perfect.  The  book 
is  wonderfully  bright,  readable,  and  graphic." — New  York  Times. 

"The  main  character  ought  to  become  familiar  to  thousands  of  readers,  and  will 
probably  take  his  place  in  time  beside  Joel  Chandler  Harris's  and  Thomas  Nelson 
Page's  and  Miss  Wilkins's  creations." — Chicago  Times-Herald. 

"  We  give  Edward  Noyes  Westcott  his  true  place  in  American  letters— placing 
him  as  a  humorist  next  to  Mark  Twain,  as  a  master  of  dialect  above  Lowell,  as  a 
descriptive  writer  equal  to  Eret  Harte,  and,  on  the  whole,  as  a  novelist  on  a  par  with 
the  best  of  those  who  live  and  have  their  being  in  the  heart  of  hearts  of  American 
readers.  If  the  author  is  dead— lamentable  fact — his  book  will  live." — Philadelphia- 
Item. 

"  True,  strong,  and  thoroughly  alive,  with  a  humor  like  that  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
and  a  nature  as  sweet  at  the  core.  The  spirit  of  the  book  is  genial  and  wholesome,  and 
the  love  story  is  in  keeping  with  it.  ...  The  book  adds  one  more  to  the  interesting 
list  of  native  fiction  destined  to  live,  portraying  certain  localities  and  types  of  American 
life  and  manners."  —  Boston  Literary  World. 

"  A  notable  contribution  to  those  sectional  studies  of  American  life  by  which  our 
literature  has  been  so  greatly  enriched  in  the  past  generation.  ...  A  work  of  unusual 
merit."— Philadelphia  Press. 

"  One  of  the  few  distinct  and  living  types  in  the  American  gallery." — St.  Louis 
Globe-  Democrat. 

"  The  quaint  character  of 'David  Harum'  proves  to  be  an  inexhaustible  source  oi 
amusement. —  Chicago  Evening  Post. 

"  It  would  be  hard  to  say  wherein  the  author  could  have  bettered  the  portrait  he 
sets  before  us."—  Providence  Journal. 

"  Full  of  wit  and  sweetness." — Baltimore  Herald. 

"  Merits  the  heartiest  and  most  unequivocal  praise.  ...  It  is  a  pleasure  to  call  the 
reader's  attention  to  this  strong  and  most  original  novel,  a  novel  that  is  a  decided  and 
most  enduring  addition  to  American  literature." — Boston  Saturday  Evening  Gazette. 


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TWO   SUCCESSFUL   AMERICAN   NOVELS. 

ATITUDE  ip°.  A  Romance  of  the  West  Indies  in 
the  Year  of  our  Lord  1820.  Being  a  faithful  account  and  true, 
of  the  painful  adventures  of  the  Skipper,  the  Bo's'n,  the  Smith, 
the  Mate,  and  Cynthia.  By  Mrs.  SCHUYLER  CROWNINSHIELD. 
Illustrated.  I2mo.  Cloth,  $1.50. 

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The  adventures  described  are  peculiarly  navel  and  interesting.  .  .  .  Packed  with 
incidents,  infused  with  humor  and  wit,  and  faithful  to  the  types  introduced,  this  book 
will  surely  appeal  to  the  large  audience  already  won,  and  beget  new  friends  among 
those  who  believe  in  fiction  that  is  healthy  without  being  maudlin,  and  is  strong  with 
out  losing  the  truth." — New  York  Herald. 

"  A  story  filled  with  rapid  and  exciting  action  from  the  first  page  to  the  last.  A 
fecundity  of  invention  that  never  lags,  and  a  judiciously  used  vein  of  humor." — Tht 
Critic. 

"  A  volume  of  deep,  undeniable  charm.  A  unique  book  from  a  fresh,  sure,  vigorous 
pen." — Boston  Journal. 

"  Adventurous  and  romantic  enough  to  satisfy  the  most  exacting  reader.  .  .  . 
Abounds  in  situations  which  make  the  blood  run  cold,  and  yet,  full  of  surprises  as  it  is, 
one  is  continually  amazed  by  the  plausibility  of  the  main  incidents  of  the  narrative. 
...  A  very  successful  effort  to  portray  the  sort  of  adventures  that  might  have  taken 
place  in  the  West  Indies  seventy  five  or  eighty  years  ago.  .  .  .  Very  entertaining  witn, 
its  dry  humor." — Boston  Herald, 


A 


HERALD  OF  THE  WEST.  An  American 
Story  of  1811-1815.  By  J.  A.  ALTSHELER,  author  of  "A 
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some  great  wrong." — San  Francisco  Chronicle. 

"  The  book  throughout  is  extremely  well  written.  It  is  condensed,  vivid,  pictu 
resque.  ...  A  rattling  good  story,  and  unrivaled  in  fiction  for  its  presentation  of  the 
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"  Holds  the  attention  continuously.  .  .  .  The  book  abounds  in  thrilling  attractions. 
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try,  built  around  facts  and  real  persons." — Chicago  Times- Herald 

"  In  a  style  that  is  strong  and  broad,  the  author  of  this  timely  novel  takes  up  a 
nascent  period  of  our  national  history  and  founds  upon  it  a  story  of  absorbing  interest." 
—Philadelphia  Item. 

"  Mr.  Altsheler  has  given  us  an  accurate  as  well  as  picturesque  portrayal  of  the 
social  and  political  conditions  which  prevailed  in  the  republic  in  the  era  made  famous 
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"  Maarten  Maartens  took  us  all  by  storm  some  time  ago  with  his  fine  story  chris 
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E   GREATER   GLORY.     A  Story  of  High  Life. 

"  Until  the  Appletons  discovered  the  merits  of  Maarten  Maartens,  the  fore 
most  of  Dutch  novelists,  it  is  doubtful  if  many  American  readers  knew  that  there  were 
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impressive  stories  of  the  period.  ...  It  belongs  to  the  small  class  of  novels  which  one 
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"  Maarten  Maartens  stands  head  and  shoulders  above  the  average  novelist  of  the 
day  in  intellectual  subtlety  and  imaginative  power." — Boston  Beacon. 

FOOL. 

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"  A  remarkable  work." — New  York  Times. 

"Maarten  Maartens  has  secured  a  firm  footing  in  the  eddies  of  current  literature. 
.  .  .  Pathos  deepens  into  tragedy  in  the  thrilling  story  of  God's  Fool.'  " — Philadel 
phia  Ledger. 

"Its  preface  alone  stamps  the  author  as  one  of  the  leading  English  novelists  of 
to-day." — Boston  Daily  Advertiser. 

"  A  story  of  remarkable  interest  and  point." — New  York  Observer. 


J 


COST  AVELINGH. 


'  Aside  from  the  masterly  handling  of  the  principal  characters  and  general  in 
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its  own." — New  York  Herald. 

"  Can  be  heartily  recommended,  both  from  a  moral  and  artistic  standpoint." — New 
York  Mail  and  Express. 

"  So  unmistakably  good  as  to  induce  the  hope  that  an  acquaintance  with  the  Dutch 
literature  of  fiction  may  soon  become  more  general  among  us." — London  Morning 
Post. 

"  A  novel  of  a  very  high  type.  At  once  strongly  realistic  and  powerfully  ideal 
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"  One  of  the  most  delightful  books  of  short  stories  which  have  come  to  our  notice  ic 
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"  May  be  set  down  without  reservation  as  the  most  thoroughly  enjoyable  book  that 
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7 


STARK  MUNRO  LETTERS.  Being  a 
Series  of  Twelve  Letters  written  by  STARK  MUNRO,  M.  B., 
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of  Lowell,  Massachusetts,  during  the  years  1881-1884.  Illus 
trated. 

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DOUND  THE  RED  LAMP.  Being  Facts  and 
*-  *-  Fancies  of  Medical  Life. 

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ford  Times. 

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FiiLIX   GRAB'S    ROMANCES. 

/T^HE    TERROR.     A  Romance  of  the  French  Revo- 
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T 


HE  REDS  OF  THE  MIDI.     An  Episode  of  the 

French  Revolution.  By  FELIX  GRAS.  Translated  from  the 
Proven?al  by  Mrs.  Catharine  A.  Janvier.  With  an  Introduction 
by  Thomas  A.  Janvier.  With  Frontispiece.  i6mo.  Cloth, 
$1.50. 

"  I  have  read  with  great  and  sustained  interest  '  The  Reds  of  the  South,'  which  you 
were  50  >d  enough  to  present  to  me.  Though  a  work  of  fiction,  it  aims  at  painting  the 
historical  features,  and  such  works  if  faithfully  executed  throw  more  light  than  many 
so  ca'led  histories  on  the  true  roots  and  causes  of  the  Revolution,  which  are  so  widely 
and  so  gravely  misunderstood  As  a  novel  it  seems  to  me  to  be  written  with  great 
skill."  —  William  E.  Gladstone. 

"Patriotism,  a  profound  and  sympathetic  insight  into  the  history  of  a  great  epoch, 
and  a  poet's  delicate  sensitiveness  to  the  beauties  of  form  and  expression  have  com 
bined  to  make  M  Felix  Gras's  '  The  Reds  of  the  Midi '  a  work  of  real  literal y  value. 
It  is  as  far  as  possible  removed  from  sensationalism  ;  it  is,  on  the  contrary,  subdued, 
simple,  unassuming,  profoundly  sincere.  Such  artifice  as  the  author  has  found  it 
necessary  to  employ  has  been  carefully  concealed,  and  if  we  feel  its  presence,  it  is  only 
because  experience  has  taught  that  the  quality  is  indispensable  to  a  work  which  affects 
the  imagination  so  promptly  and  with  such  force  as  does  this  quiet  narrative  of  the 
French  Revolution." — New  York  Tribune. 

"  It  is  doubtful  whether  in  the  English  language  we  have  had  a  nr>re  powerful, 
impressive,  artistic  picture  of  the  French  Revolution,  from  the  revolutionist's  point  of 
view,  than  that  presented  in  F61ix  Gras's  'The  Reds  of  the  Midi.'  .  .  .  Adventures 
follow  one  another  rapidly  ;  splendid,  brilliant  pictures  are  frequent,  and  the  thread  of 
a  tender,  beautiful  love  story  winds  in  and  out  of  its  pages."— Ne-w  York  Mail  and 
Express.  

D.   APPLETON   AND   COMPANY,   NEW   YORK. 


D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY'S  PUBLICATIONS. 

BY   ANTHONY   HOPE. 
'ITHR    CHRONICLES   OF  COUNT  ANTONIO. 

•*•  With  Photogravure  Frontispiece  by  S.  W.  Van  Schaick.  I2mo. 
Cloth,  $1.50. 

"  No  adventures  were  ever  better  worth  recounting  than  are  those  of  Antonio  of 
Monti  Velluto,  a  very  Bayard  among  outlaws.  .  .  .  To  all  those  whose  pulses  still  stir 
at  the  recital  of  deeds  of  high  courage,  we  may  recommend  this  book.  .  .  .  The  chron 
icle  conveys  the  emotion  of  heroic  adventure,  and  is  picturesquely  written." — Lou- 
don  Daily  News. 

"  It  has  literary  merits  all  its  own,  of  a  deliberate  and  rather  deep  order.  .  .  . 
In  point  of  execution  'The  Chronicles  of  Count  Antonio'  is  the  best  work  that  Mr. 
Hope  has  yet  done.  The  design  is  clearer,  the  workmanship  more  elaborate,  the  style 
more  colored. " — Westminster  Gazette. 

"A  romance  worthy  of  all  the  expectations  raised  by  the  brilliancy  of  his  former 
books,  and  likely  to  be  read  with  a  keen  enjoyment  and  a  healthy  exaltation  of  the 
spirits  by  every  one  who  takes  it  up."—  The  Scotsman. 

"  A  gallant  tale,  written  with  unfailing  freshness  and  spirit."— London  Daily 
Telegraph. 

"  One  of  the  most  fascinating  romances  written  in  English  within  many  days.  The 
quaint  simplicity  of  its  style  is  delightful,  and  the  adventures  recorded  in  these  '  Chron 
icles  of  Conn  Antonio'  are  as  stirring  and  ingenious  as  any  conceived  even  by  Wey- 
man  at  his  best." — New  York  World. 

"No  adventures  were  ever  better  worth  telling  than  those  of  Count  Antonio. 
.  .  .  The  author  knows  full  well  how  to  make  every  pulse  thrill,  and  how  to  hold  his 
readers  under  the  spell  of  his  magic." — Boston  Herald. 

*T^HE  GOD  IN  THE  CAR.  New  edition.  Uniform 
•*•  with  "The  Chronicles  of  Count  Antonio."  I2mo.  Cloth, 
$1.25. 

"  '  The  God  in  the  Car'  is  just  as  clever,  just  as  distinguished  in  style,  just  as  full 
of  wit,  and  of  what  nowadays  some  persons  like  better  than  wit— allusiveness-  as 
any  of  his  stories.  It  is  saturated  with  the  modern  atmosphere ;  is  not  only  a  very 
clever  but  a  very  strong  story ;  in  some  respects,  we  think,  the  strongest  Mr.  Hope 
has  yet  written." — London  Speaker. 

"  A  very  remarkable  book,  deserving  of  critical  analysis  impossible  within  our 
limit;  brilliant,  but  not  superficial;  well  considered,  but  not  elaborated ;  constructed 
with  the  proverbial  art  that  conceals,  but  yet  allows  itself  to  be  enjoyed  by  readers  to 
whom  fine  literary  method  is  a  keen  pleasure  "—London  World. 

"The  book  is  a  brilliant  one.  .  .  .  'The  God  in  the  Car'  is  one  of  the  most  re 
markable  works  in  a  year  that  has  givert  us  the  handiwork  of  nearly  all  our  best  living 
novelists." — London  Standard. 


D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY,  NEW  YORK. 


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